Opposites (Naegiri Fan Fiction)(Naegi x Kirigiri)
by sundance15
Summary: In the first semester of college, Makoto Naegi met a mysterious girl in his first class who has piqued his attention. Danganronpa (AU)
1. Chapter 1

"Shit. . ." Naegi muttered as he began walk briskly down the hallway to the lecture hall. He took a quick glance at his watch and began running when he realized that it was already 9 am, which meant that he was late for his first Biology class of the semester.

 _I knew I should have taken the 3pm class instead of this early damn class._ He mentally said to himself as he finally reached the lecture hall. He pulled out his phone to check where his room was before taking a deep breath as he straighten his shirt to look more composed. As he stood in front of his room, he waited for the professor to busy himself before quietly opening the door and slipping into the room.

He was hoping that he could just enter quietly and slip into a seat without the professor noticing him, but he had no such luck.

"You're late, Mr. Naegi." The professor spoke firmly as he looked at him.

"I- I'm sorry, Sir, it won't happen again." Naegi said nervously, trying his best to crack a small hopeful smile to lessen his anxiousness.

"That's what they all say," The professor sighed and returned a small smile before assigning him to his seat. "Take a seat next to Ms..." He paused and grabbed the seat plan from the teacher's table.

"Kirigiri."

The professor lifted his gaze off the seat plan and pointed at the empty chair in the third row next to the violet haired girl who's seating by the window.

"Thank you, Mr… uhh…"

"Hokuto," The professor smiled and Naegi immediately thanked him once more before walking over to his designated seat.

As he put his bag down under his chair and sat down on his seat, he looked to his side and noticed that the violet haired girl was silently staring outside of the window with a stoic expression on her face.

The girl immediately noticed his gaze and looked at him, keeping her stoic expression as she asked, "What?"

"Nothing, sorry." Naegi said with a nervous smile.

After his reply, the girl took her gaze away from him and cupped her face as she diverted her attention to their professor. Naegi couldn't help but to be curious about her, there's something about her that piqued his attention, he wasn't sure if it was because of the girl's peculiar demeanor or maybe... the sadness in her eyes.

"Uh… Kirigiri-san, right?"

The girl looked at him from the corner of her eye before quickly averting her gaze back to the professor as she said, "Introductions can wait, we're inside the class. You should listen."

"O-okay." was the only word Naegi could utter as he focused his attention back to the professor, who's orienting the whole class about the subject matter and the syllabus.

While listening, Naegi couldn't help but to take a quick glance of his seatmate from time to time. He wanted to be friends with her, there's just something about her that makes him feel as though they need to know each other for some weird reason he couldn't explain.

"Hey," He heard a whisper behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw a boy with spiky brown hair calling for his attention. "Makoto Naegi, right?"

His brows furrowed slightly as he muster a nod, "Yeah."

The boy smiled. "I'm Hajime Hinata, I've heard about you. You're the transferee, right?"

Before Naegi could even answer his question, Mr. Hokuto took their attention by calling them out, causing the two students to be startled in their seats. The two apologized and listened attentively after, being called out.

"Hope everyone had a great time with me today," Mr. Hokuto smiled and then followed murmurs of agreements from around the class. "See yo – oh, I almost forgot!"

walked over to the teacher's desk and pulled a stack of paper from his leather briefcase. He then started distributing the paper, giving each student a copy.

"The science week will be held a month from now, and I want you guys to create a project that has something to do with our subject. The best project in my classes would immediately have 20% in their class standing this semester. And oh, the department of Chemistry and Biology would also choose the best project among all freshmen students and the best one would also receive a cash prize."

Noise started to build up as students finished reading the paper of mechanics that was given to them. Everyone started to look for a partner and started to converse about the project they'll do. Naegi looked around and saw that most of his classmates - even Hajime, already have a partner except for him and Kirigiri.

"Uhh. . . Kirigiri-San? Can we be par-"

"Do I look like I still have another choice?" She spoke silently, cutting him off. She then looked at him before her eyes wander around the classroom. "Everyone already has a partner, except for the two of us." Naegi then heard her whisper something unintelligible as she looked away and trained her gaze back to the window.

Naegi gulped, and was quite taken aback from the coldness in Kirigiri's voice. _Does she hate me? What did I even do?_ He thought to himself as he looked at her worriedly. Heaving a sigh, he mustered his optimism and cracked a smile as he said, "I'm glad you're my partner, I hope we can get along, Kirigiri."

Before the violet-eyed girl could even respond, the school bell rang and right off the bat, the girl stood up and picked up her things before stepping out of the room.

 **Author's Note :** Hi guys this is my first time to write a fan fiction, so I hope you guys like the first chapter. I'm sorry if there's grammatical error and such as English isn't my mother language.


	2. Chapter 2

When Naegi's break came, he found himself walking aimlessly at the campus' hallway, carrying a takeout bag containing two pieces of karepan and a bottle of water, in his hand. Although Hinata and his biology partner, Chiaki Nanami, asked him to have lunch with them, he politely refused to – as during the time they've asked him, he, unfortunately still has a class before his freetime.

 _This sucks._ He thought to himself as he continued to walk until he reached a door leading to the campus' garden. He went out, and wandered, enjoying the marvelous view of his surrounding as he continues to walk in the small pavement with sap-green trees lined on both sides. He sat on one of the benches under the tree, and placed his bag beside him before he took one of bread that he had bought earlier out of the takeout bag and eat it.

While eating, he was about to scroll through his digital handbook when he heard leaves rustling behind him. He turned in his seat and glanced at the direction to where the sound was coming from – and saw none other than, Kirigiri, Kyoko walking out of the dense shrub behind him.

"Kirigiri-san?"

Her violet eyes widened in surprise when she saw him, then narrowed as her brows started to knit together with mild confusion and irritation.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was cold and monotonous, as she walked closer to Naegi, causing him to stand up from his seat.

"It's my break, and I don't really know where to go. There were a lot of people in the cafeteria so, instead of eating there I've decided to look for another place to eat." He explained, smiling nervously at her. Kirigiri eyed the bread that he was holding and the takeout bag sitting on the bench before looking back at him.

"I see."

The girl turned around and walked towards the entrance back to the school without saying another word. Naegi was left puzzled in her actions but there's one thing he's sure of, as he watches her walk away. Even though she's still wearing the stoic expression on her face just like a while ago, he could sense that relief was laced in the two words that she had just spoken. That's why as she was about half-way to the door, Naegi called her, causing the girl to stop dead in her tracks.

As Kirigiri looked over her shoulder, he asked. "What were you doing there Kirigiri-san?" Naegi took a quick glance at the shrub where Kirigiri appeared before looking back at her. Kirigiri's brows furrowed slightly as she answered, "It's none of your business." before walking back to the school.

 _Why does she hate me so much?_ Naegi thought to himself as he sighed and sat back on the bench. He then finished his meal and took a quick look at his wristwatch.

He still has 45 minutes of free time left before his next subject – a lot of time to wander around and explore the campus to familiarize himself with every room and hallways. But instead of doing so, as his curiosity took over the best of him when he looked at the dense shrub behind him, he decided to go there, to find out what Kirigiri could have been doing there.

Naegi walked through the shrub and found a narrow path leading into the woods. He gulped, feeling a little nervous about exploring the woods alone. He could hear the sound of animals scampering through the leaves and the sound of birds singing echoing through the trees. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment to give himself a little time to decide whether to follow the path or not. However, remembering the surprised look on Kirigiri's face made him even more curious on what she could have been doing here and where this path may lead to – the curiosity Naegi has was stronger than his fear of what danger could lie ahead if he follows the path.

As he began to walk, a lot of things was going through his mind, one of it was whether the woods was still a part of the school or not and second, why this girl Kirigiri, Kyoko seems to hate him the moment they've met. As the gentle cool air caresses his skin and the sunlight streaming through the gaps between the branches overhead kiss him, he realizes that as he walks deeper into the path the more beautiful the woods is becoming.

Soon, he heard a stream close by, so he decided to find it and rest beside it for a while. Sitting by the stream, he listens to the waters lapping over the pebbles and stones, relaxing him for some reason he couldn't explain.

 _Maybe this is what she came for here._ Naegi smiled to himself as he held his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them before looking up to the bright blue sky. When the wind blew, Naegi heard the sound of bells nearby. The bells made a sweet, alluring-sort of sound as if it was asking him to find them – so he did.

Naegi stood up and walked over to where the sound of the bells were coming from, as he drew closer to the sound, he saw two golden bells attached to a big tree's branch and seven bottles with six containing withered flowers in them – the seventh however, contains two fresh pieces of Shiragiku.

With the items before his eyes, he couldn't help but to think of someone dying at the spot. As to who it was? He had no idea. Nevertheless, he knew that whoever this person was must've been so important to her.

"I knew you'd be here." The familiar voice made him almost jump out of his skin in surprise. When he turned around and saw Kirigiri looking straight at him, anger evident in her eyes.

"I- I'm sorry." He spoke softly.

"You shouldn't go sticking your nose into other people's business, Naegi," Kirigiri said in a dangerously dark voice.

"I just – I just got curious. I know we've just met each other a while ago but. . . I just…"

"Just what?"

"I just want to know you, Kirigiri. I want to be friends with you."

Kirigiri's brows furrowed slightly as she momentarily closed her eyes and heaved a sigh.

As she opened her eyes, she gave Naegi a cold stare as she said, "If you want to be friends with me, do me a favor. Don't poke your nose into my business," She paused and walked closer to him before she continued. "And go." She asked him to leave as she pointed at the trail leading back to the Campus' garden. Even though Naegi wanted to ask her myriads of questions – he decided to respect what Kirigiri wants and left the place at once.


	3. Chapter 3

Naegi silently padded through the gritted sidewalk on his way home, with his feet, crunching over the fallen leaves as the warm afternoon breeze caresses his skin. He was thinking about how everything that has happened today. He was thinking about Kirigiri's attitude and ways he could do to make her feel comfortable in his presence.

However, after almost an hour of walking and pondering, nothing came to his mind.

"Tadaima," Naegi said with a sigh as he opened the door. Right off, the bat, his sister, Komaru, who was wearing a wide excited smile on her face, greeted him.

"Okaeri, Makoto-nii!" Komaru greeted enthusiastically. "How was your first day of college? Was it fun? Was the university huge? Have you made friends?"

Naegi gave Komaru tired smile and a nod as a response. "College is…" He once again recalled how the day went and felt his heart skip a beat when he remembered, Kirigiri, out of the blue.

"Is?" Komaru asked excitedly as she looked at him with curiosity while he was taking his shoes off. Feeling his sister stare, he glanced over his shoulder after putting his shoes on the shoe rack and smiled at her.

"Strangely different." Naegi responded as he grabbed his bag and went upstairs, he could hear Komaru's disappointed and irritated voice calling out for him, halfway to his room. He could hear her saying 'how was it strangely different?' and many other things that she had been looking forward to talk about with him.

"Makoto-nii!" As Naegi opened his room's door, heard Komaru's tracks stopped behind him. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw his sister pouting and glaring at him.

He sighed and turned around to face Komaru. "You'll know when you get there." He said, before he finally entered his room, leaving Komaru slightly confused as she caught him wearing a stupid smile on his face as he went inside.

"Komaru," Naegi called out as he approached the front door. "Im going, do you want me to bring you something!?"

Komaru went out of the kitchen and ran towards him, carrying a small plastic bag with a bento box inside. "Makoto-nee, I made you dinner," She said as she handed him the plastic bag. Naegi smiled and took the bag before giving her a light pat on the head as he said, "thank you.". Komaru smiled and told his brother that she wanted a slice of the famous fluffy cheesecake that the café Makoto works on sells.

"Alright, make sure to lock the door okay? I'll be back around 10." As Komaru gave him a nod, he went out to head to his work.

Life hasn't been this hard for the two of them, but ever since their father's death Makoto Naegi felt the need that he had to do everything to help his mother earn for a living – especially that his college is quite expensive. With his mother working overseas, the two were left alone in Japan, with the supervision of their aunt, Chisa who'd come regularly on weekends to hang out and check on them. It was unknown to his mother and his aunt that he works part time at a café near the school; he didn't want to worry his mom so he asked Komaru to keep the part time job thing as a secret between the two of them.

"Makotooo-kuuunn!" A bright energetic voice greeted him as he entered the staff's room.

"Maizono-san." He smiled at the blue-haired girl, his childhood friend and the daughter of the café's owner. "Kon'nichiwa."

"Kon'nichiwa!" Sayaka beamed. "How was your first day of class, Makoto-kun?"

"Nothing special," Naegi said as he put his cap and apron on. "How about you, Maizono-san? What are you doing here anyway?"

The Sayaka's smile widened as she showed a locker key to Naegi and playfully stuck her tongue out.

Naegi's eyes widened in surprise with the thought he has in mind. "D-Don't tell me?"

Sayaka walked over to the locker beside him and opened it. "From now on, I'll be working here part time too, Makoto-kun."

"eh?" His brows knitted together in confusion. "Why? Your family owns this café and you can literally have everything that you ask for—"

Closing her locker, Sayaka smiled at him as she said, "I want to work hard for what I want and be more independent, Makoto-kun. I'm tired of people telling me that I rely so much with my parents' wealth. It hurts sometimes, you know?"

"So-Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay," Sayaka was still smiling however, Naegi could clearly see a certain sadness behind her smile. "Let's go to work! Makoto-kun, guide me, okay?"

Naegi returned the smile and nodded. "Hai,"

 **Kirigiri**

She opened the front door quietly only to be greeted with silence. She could feel her heart crushing as she stepped inside the empty home, with every step taken would squeak on the cheap old wood underneath her.

As she reached the living room, she eyed on the journal sitting on the dusty coffee table and couldn't help but to feel loneliness, dropping to the pit of her stomach, devouring her again, shattering her again.

Biting her lower lip harshly as she tries to keep her tears from falling, she clenched her fist tightly as she whispered a soft, "Idiot." While remembering him, her father, Jin Kirigiri.

At times, she felt angry; disappointed at herself for being sensitive and too emotional behind the iron mask she wears every day.

 _Why am I not over it yet? How can I be over it? I should be over it, right? I'm perfectly fine on my own anyway… I'm…_

 _Who am I kidding?_

She knew she could never be over it. How could she? If each room is filled with memories of the past? Beautiful memories that one could never forget? He was her only family, the man who taught her of everything she knows and the only one who understands her more than anyone else.

" _Idiot. You shouldn't have gone there,"_ Kirigiri whispered once again as she sat on the couch, remembering that fateful night - the last time she'd seen him. _"If you didn't go there, you'd still be with me, dad."_

Kirigiri felt tears streaming down her face as memories from the night flashed before her, flickering image of terror. It has been more than a year but still, everything seems as though it had just happened yesterday. The sound of the harsh rain, the howling wind, the loud clap of thunder, the man and her father. She'd seen it. She'd seen how they were swept away by the flooded river. She remembered it. How pathetic she was just standing there, unable to do anything, paralyzed of fear and pain. Unable to save him – unable to save them.

Wanting to keep the memories off from her head, Kirigiri changed her clothes and head out into the early evening, with no particular destination in mind.

The busy night is filled with people, walking from dinners and dates. Almost everyone she saw pass by her, had someone to walk and talk with. She felt a pang of envy, as she has no one. She was alone. Always alone.

She couldn't blame people for not liking her, she knew for a fact that she had grown distant and cold from her friends and other people after the tragedy that shook her life and turned it upside down. After what happened, she knew she wasn't the same as before to a point where she couldn't even understand herself and her feelings anymore. There are times, where she wanted to be accompanied by someone but at the same time, she wanted to be alone. There are times where she thought about finally forming a bond with someone, but she was scared that maybe, with her being too complex, she might just end up being hated.

Walking past by shops and restaurants downtown, she heard her stomach grumbled and craved for something sweet and warm. She slowed down to a warm seeming café, and read it's name.

 _Vanilla Bean Café._

The bright interior lured her attention as the huge glass plate gave her a perfect view of what's inside the café.

Booths along the sides, and simple oakwood tables covering the center. Everything was rustic in color, brown, tan and rookwood dark red, and all of the menu items written neatly on a chalkboard near the register.

Stepping in, the aroma of the freshly brewed coffee welcomed her as a blue-haired girl greeted her enthusiastically with a smile on her face. She gave a small smile back, as her heart felt warmed and welcome.

As the girl guided her to the counter, her eyes widened in surprise.

Attending the register was a familiar face. It was her seatmate in biology class – her project partner even, Naegi, Makoto.

 _He smiles a lot, doesn't he?_

"Kon'banwa, may I take your o-" When he lifted his gaze from the cashier's monitor to look at her, she could see nothing but surprise plastered in his face. "—Kirigiri-san?"

"Eh? You two know each other?" Sayaka queried, looking back and forth between them.

Naegi flashed another smile and nodded his head. "Yes, she's my classmate in Biology, she's my project partner as well."

The blue-haired girl looked at her, and smiled. "I bet you guys would do well, Makoto-kun's luck will surely make your project a success."

… _Makoto-kun?_

Just as the blue-haired girl was about to say something again, the bell door rang, signaling her that a costumer came in again. She then excused herself and attended the costumers leaving the two at the counter.

 **Makoto**

The tiredness that he had felt was oddly washed away as he felt his heart skipped a beat when he saw her face. The corners of his mouth curved involuntarily upward for some reason he couldn't explain.

"May I take your order, Kirigiri-san?"

He watched the violet-haired girl read the menu near him, and found himself blushing.

 _She's… really pretty._ He thought to himself. _But… there's something—_

"Kirigiri-chan, do you need help?" Sayaka's lively voice interrupted his thoughts, he looked at them and saw Kirigiri smiled slightly after being recommended with the café's best-selling coffee that goes well with the light cheesecake they sell.

 _She smiled!_

"I'll have a Luwak coffee and a slice of blueberry cheesecake."

"That will be 500 yen. I'll just serve everything to your table."

She gave the exact amount and made her way over to the corner of the café, and sat down at a secluded table. She secretly looked at Naegi as he was busy making her coffee still smiling – It was weird, there's something about him that's making her feel tingly inside as she had not met anyone who didn't dislike her after treating them coldly – just like what she did to him a while ago.

"Kirigiri-san, here's your Luwak coffee and blueberry cheesecake."

She looked up and saw Naegi's smiling face as he sets the white cup and the slice of blueberry cheesecake down on the table.

"Naegi-kun…" She called quietly.

"Hm? Do you still need something, Kirigiri-san?" He asked politely as he turned his head to look at her.

When their gaze met, Kirigiri felt her heart leapt.

His eyes resembled the newborn leaves of a lush spring meadow, clear and soft.

Though his features weren't strong nor sharp, she found his lips rosy and full – it seemed to be inviting her to touch them gently.

For a moment, she felt a sudden desire to touch them and trace his lips with her fingers. Was she attracted to him? She thought to herself as she avert her gaze down on the steaming coffee.

"Nevermind," She spoke softly as she slightly shook her head.

"Alright, if you need something just call my attention, okay?"

She nodded quietly and watched Naegi go back to his position at the register.

Is he really like this to everyone? She knew for a fact that the aura Naegi radiates fascinates her since the first time he had spoken to her, but what she couldn't understand was this odd tingly feeling that she felt whenever she sees him smile.

Kirigiri closed her eyes and sighed as she dismisses the thoughts of him inside her mind. As she picked up her cup, something caught her eye. A paper at the bottom of the cheesecake, which has Naegi's writing. "Kirigiri-san, you should smile more often, it suits you."

At first she didn't know how to react, but as she re-read the letter thrice, she didn't notice that a small smile was finally starting to creep up on her face.

A/N : Hi, I didn't proof read this, but I do hope that there are minimal grammatical errors. I'm sorry if there are though. Hehe. By the way how do you guys like the story so far? The story is slow paced, I know but yeah. . . Naegiri will rise so don't worry. . . ;)


	4. Chapter 4

Naegi walked down the hall toward the lecture hall, with a small smile plastered on his face.

He was looking forward for today's biology class – he was looking forward to see her again.

 _Kirigiri Kyouko._

He was pretty sure that he saw a glimpse of her smile as she read the note he left on her table last night. The sight of the girl smiling made his heart flutter. He wish that he could always see her like that. He wish that he could help her solve whatever it is that seems to be bothering her – whatever it is that has stained her eyes with sadness.

"Naegi-kun, Ohayo!" Naegi heard a familiar voice spoke behind him. He turned around and saw Hinata flashing a knowing grin.

"Ohayo, Hinata-kun." He greeted back.

"You seem to be pretty excited, Naegi-kun," Hinata remarked with a sly grin on his face as they continued to walk towards the lecture hall. "Is that smile because you'll get to see Kirigiri-chan today?"

Naegi's flustered, especially when Hajime gave him a knowing look as he chuckles.

"You're flushing, I'm right, aren't I?"

"N-No! T-that's not it! It's-"

Hajime's grin widened. "It's pretty obvious you like her, Naegi-kun. You kept on checking out on her yesterday."

"I wasn't! It was just because – she seemed to hate me and I want to know why. She's my partner after all and it wouldn't be good if she hates me. We might not get along, you know? It would affect the project's outcome and—" Naegi's voice was laced with embarrassment, was it because what Hajime said was true? Why did he need to come up with a lot of reasons just to tell him why she's checking out on her yesterday and was he really that obvious?

Hajime stopped dead in his tracks as he held onto his stomach and started to laugh.

"You made it more obvious, Naegi.-kun," Naegi felt his cheeks heat up as he heard those words from Hajime's mouth. He's an open book after all, everyone could easily read his emotions, everyone could see right through him.

Naegi closed his eyes and sighed in defeat. "I think. . . I don't really know. I just want to know her better. When she treated me coldly yesterday, I wanted to know why she was like that. I want to understand her," Naegi said quietly, as a soft smile crept across his lips. "I don't know if I already like her but – I could feel something inside my chest whenever she smiles."

"You sound like a love-struck puppy, Naegi-kun." Hajime teased, giving him an easy smile.

Naegi frowned as he looked at his friend. "You'd probably sound just like me if I've met you the time you were still crushing on Nanami-san."

"Hey, I still am though. I won't get tired of admiring her." Hajime smiled bashfully, which made Naegi flash a sheepish grin."Who sounds like the love-struck puppy now?"

"Tsch, why you!"

The two boys automatically clicked. It has been a while since Naegi had a friend that he could easily talk to, as he didn't have any guy friends in his former high school. Boys in his former high school saw him as weak and uncool. That's why he was always made fun of during his high school days. The only friend he had back then was Byakuya, Togami, but he left the country when they were in junior high. It was refreshing to have someone that doesn't see him as someone who's weak – it was refreshing to have someone he could talk to about things guys could only understand.

The two boys were expecting the lecture hall to be quiet and empty since they arrived there 30 minutes early. But to their surprise as soon as they opened the doors, they saw a student napping, sitting at the back of the room by the window. It was none other than, Kirigiri, Kyouko.

" _Why is she here so early?"_ He thought to himself as they entered the room. The lecture hall's doors closed behind them with a loud thud, causing the girl to wake up from her nap. He smiled at her and from the corner of his eye – he immediately caught his friend grinning knowingly with delight.

"Ohayo, Kirigiri-san."

He was expecting Kirigiri to greet him back, or to at least smile at him, but she didn't.

She just looked at him with her pair of violet sleepy eyes and covered her mouth with her gloved hand as she yawned.

Naegi sighed as he sat beside her and put his things down under the table. As he was about to pull out his Ipad to entertain himself while waiting, he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

As he shifted his gaze, he felt his heart started pumping twice more than it should have been when she called out for his name.

"Naegi-kun." Naegi felt relieved upon hearing her voice. It wasn't as cold as yesterday's, even though she's still wearing a stoic expression on her face. _I'm making a progress._ He mentally said to himself as his lips curled up into a smile of joyous relief.

"I have an idea for our project."

"Really?"

Kirigiri nods and took a folder out from her bag and handed it to him. Naegi furrowed his brows with curiosity as he started studying the folder's content.

"A doping potion?" Naegi questioned as he lifted his eyes from the paper.

Kirigiri silently nods.

"I know someone who had been studying about it since we were still in high school. I think it would be a good project, don't you think?"

"Yeah, but…"

"But?"

"It seems complicated and what if we can't do it?"

"We won't know we if we can or can't do it unless we try it. If we fail, I'll think of another plan."

Naegi put the papers back inside the folder and heaved a sigh, before giving her a smile.

"Okay, when will we start doing this?"

"Today. We'll talk to _her_ during our break later. Meet me in front of this room."

Naegi knew his cheeks were probably turning red with the thoughts of spending his break with Kirigiri. A part of him just couldn't believe that this was happening, and even though he tells himself that Kirigiri's his project partner that's why this is just normal – he knows deep inside that being with her, meant something special for him.

 **Kirigiri**

When the lecture ended, she walked out of the room with an expressionless face and a heart full of glee. It wasn't only because of the fact that Naegi approved of her idea but also because the thought of having someone to accompany her during her break today, which she had been looking forward to for a long time.

Heaving a sigh of contentment as she walked to her next class, she came into an abrupt halt when she heard familiar voices from afar. As she glanced over her shoulder, she saw Naegi with his friends, Hajime and Chiaki – they looked so happy, especially Hajime and Naegi who kept on exchanging words loudly.

Kirigiri felt her lips curled into a small smile as she saw Naegi's flustered face while his two friends seemed to be teasing him. She thought that it was cute when his cheeks reddened, and when he bit his lip in frustration, as he seemed to fail to say something to stop his friends from teasing him.

"Seriously guys, cut it out! She'd hear us." He heard him yell. Naegi then turned his face to glance at her direction and blushed furiously when he saw her staring at them. When Hajime looked at her direction as well, she saw the boy's lips broke into a grin as he yelled, "Yo! Kirigiri-chan! Naegi-kun said you should smile more because you look cute when you do!"

She felt her heart race slightly when she heard those words. When she averted her gaze to Naegi, she saw his face paled with a look of defeat in his face as he looked at Hajime, who's grin is wider than ever.

"Arigato..." She said in a quiet nonchalant voice, causing the three to look at her in surprise. "Naegi-kun."

As she quickly turned her back and proceeded walking to her next class, she clutched the strap of her shoulder bag tightly as a sense of happiness filled her insides.

As soon as she arrived in the classroom, she secured herself a seat at the back, another one beside the window.

Something was quite different today, as for the first time; the sunlight streaming through the window seemed to give her a fresh feeling, like the new coming of summer.

" _You should smile more often, it suits you."_

She remembered the words he wrote as she stared outside of the window. She wondered what Naegi thinks of her, was scared that he'd found her unapproachable for some reason or awkward. She was scared that along the way, Naegi would find her complicated to understand if ever they'd get closer.

"Ohayo Gozaimasu!" A familiar cheerful voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned her head to look at the person, and saw the blue-haired girl from the café yesterday, smiling at her.

"You're—"

"Kirigiri-chan, right? I haven't introduced myself yet yesterday, I'm Maizono, Sayaka." The girl offered her hand for a handshake as she smiles.

"Kirigiri, Kyouko, nice to meet you, Maizono-san." She spoke softly as she shook her hand.

"Can I seat right next to you?"

"Go ahead."

"Thank you."

As Maizono put down her things underneath her table and sat beside her. She rested her elbows on the table and cupped her face.

"Kirigiri-chan, what program are you taking?" Maizono asked out of curiosity.

"Forensic Science."

"Ah!? Same course as Makoto-kun!" Maizono smiled, right off the bat, Kirigiri felt her heart pound inside her chest. "That means you guys would be classmates in most of the subjects you'll be taking this term."

"Really… I see." She responded calmly, expressionless – in contrast of what she's truly feeling inside, "How about you, Maizono-san, what program are you taking?"

"Fine Arts," Maizono responded with a smile. "But after pursuing this course or maybe even while pursuing this, I'll be going to several auditions."

"Auditions?"

"Yes, singing auditions. I've always wanted to be an idol."

Kirigiri smiled softly, she didn't know what to say or how to respond. Should she carry out this conversation? If so how so?

"Idol? That's great… chasing your dreams."

With a lopsided smile of reminisce, Maizono clasped her hand together and looked at it as she spoke. "I won't be having the courage to tell you what I truly want if you'd ask me a year before."

Kirigiri remained mute as she listened intently to her.

"If it wasn't for Makoto-kun, I'd still be probably living inside the imaginary palace that I've created. I'd still won't come out and take risks. I'd still listen to what the society tells me to do instead of just being myself."

Why is she telling me this? Kirigiri thought to herself. She felt a pang inside of her. An emotion that she hasn't felt for a long time… Jealousy.

 _Don't tell me?_

"Maizono-san, is Naegi-kun your boyfriend?"

"Eh?" Maizono looked at Kirigiri wide-eyed and slowly, the corner of her lips curved into a smile until she broke into a fit of laughter.

"Gomen, gomen," Maizono said, laughing. "No, Makoto-kun is my childhood friend."

"I… see…" She didn't know why she felt relieved. What the hell is this feeling?

"I don't really know what I'd do without him… I can't see living my life without Makoto-kun. He's always there whenever I need someone… I'm blessed to have a great friend like him."

"Where is this going?"

Maizono shook her head slightly. "Sorry, I've said too much. I don't really have a lot of friends. That's probably why I talk too much even if I've just met you yesterday." She laughed.

"Really?" Kirigiri narrowed her eyes, as she observed the expression plastered on Maizono's face, trying to see whether she's lying or not, and turns out, she wasn't.

"Yes, A lot of people don't quite find me interesting enough… I guess."

"Hmm… I really think you're someone worth getting to know, Maizono-san."

"Really?!"

Kirigiri gave her a soft small smile as she nodded her head. "Yes, really."

"Ah!"

Kirigiri looked at her questioningly.

"What?"

"You smiled!" Sayaka said with enthusiasm. "Makoto-kun was right. You do look cute when you smile."

Kirigiri felt her cheeks heat up upon hearing those words from Sayaka's mouth. She remained silent as she averted her gaze and peer outside of the window once again.

 _Naegi Makoto._. .

 _Why is everything about you seem to be inviting and loving? Why are you so intriguing?_

When their break came, Naegi met Kirigiri at their Biology classroom just as planned. They wasted no time and went immediately to the Chemistry Laboratory, where the person who Kirigiri was referring to a while ago, often spend her break time.

As Kirigiri was about to casually slide the Chemistry Lab's door open, Naegi gently grabbed her wrist, which made her look at him with surprise.

"We should knock. Your friend's probably doing something."

Kirigiri heaved a sigh as she pulled her hand away and knocked softly on the door.

"C-C-Come in." A small voice from inside spoke. Naegi opened the door for her and let her walk in first before getting inside the lab himself, for he'd always liked to put his manners first.

"K-Kirigiri-san, Konnichiwa, what can I do for you?" asked the girl who's working on the laboratory station near the chemical storage room. The girl has a sickly complexion and a respirator mask covering her mouth. Her wavy pale grey hair covering the half of her face, which gave her a frightening look.

"Seiko-senpai, I've been wondering if you have finished the doping drug that you've been working on back when we were still studying at the same high school. Was it a success?"

Still concentrated on her work, the grey haired girl nodded. "It was indeed a success… I guess…"

"You guess?" Kirigiri queried as she folded her arms across her chest, looking directly with curiosity at the girl.

"I-I-I'm not quite sure that it would work again if ever I'd do one for you gu-"

"Seiko-senpai, hold on," Kirigiri cuts her off, causing the girl to put the laboratory tools that she had in hand as she looked at Kirigiri confusedly. Naegi stared at the two and felt Kirigiri's seriousness radiating from her words. "We'll be the one who'd do it."

Kirigiri took a quick glance at Naegi before averting her gaze back to Seiko.

"W-who is he?"

"I'm Naegi, Ma-"

As he was about to formally introduce himself, Kirigiri cuts him off. "Naegi, Makoto, my biology project partner."

 _What's wrong with her? Is she really this serious and rude?_ Naegi thought to himself as he looked at Kirigiri with worry and confusion.

Seiko gave an amused look at Kirigiri as she chuckled, "You haven't changed, Kirigiri-san."

"I don't think it's even possible that I will."

The room grew silent. It was an uncomfortable silence. Such silence gives a feeling of sadness in one's heart.

Naegi noticed that there was pity on Seiko's eyes as she looked at Kirigiri, he couldn't help but to think about where he had seen Kirigiri yesterday. The place where there were bells and flowers. What truly happened? Does Seiko know something? How close are they? He knew it was wrong to ask questions as such, as it might rub a salt on the wound Kirigiri possibly has.

Wanting to break the dead silence, Seiko pulled a small notebook out and started jotting down something on it. Once done, she walked towards Kirigiri and handed her a piece of her notebook's paper.

"Here are the ingredients for the doping potion." She then whispered something on Kirigiri's ear before turning her face to Naegi.

"Naegi Makoto-kun. Be patient with her, okay?"

 **A/N :** I hope you guys liked this chapter. Pardon my grammar again, I love you guys! :D


	5. Chapter 5

Sitting at the corner of the library, Naegi skimmed through the thick files of different potions Seiko had given them during their break time, to check the ingredients of the doping potion that they'd be doing sometime soon. In front of him were several books about Embryophytes, Eukaryotes, and Prokaryotes, and his trustee notebook and pen.

While jotting down some information needed to get the ingredients, he wondered where she isright now. He took a quick glance at the wall clock and saw that it was already five in the afternoon. He sighed in frustration as he thought, "She said she'd be here by 4:45. Has she gone home?"

Distracting his thoughts, a student wearing their school's P.E uniform sat next to him. He lifted his gaze from his notebook to look at the student and saw Seiko, leaning close to him to watch what he was doing.

"S-Seiko-senpai!?"

His voice echoed through the library, causing the librarian to look at him furiously.

He immediately bowed politely to apologize, and heard quiet giggles in other tables as he do so. He wasn't embarrassed nor ashamed, he was used to it. He was so used to it that he felt as though that there's never going to be a day where he won't shame himself. After all, that's how it always was during his high school days.

After apologizing, he sat back on his seat and smiled at Seiko. "Gomen, I was surprised that you're here," He let out a soft chuckle. "don't scare me like that."

Seiko furrowed her brows. "There's loneliness in his smile." She thought as she watched him continue his work.

"Naegi-kun, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Why did you chose Kirigiri-san as your partner?"

With a lopsided smile, Naegi responded. "I just thought that I'd be nice if I'd get to work with her since she's my seatmate and other than that, everyone else already had project partners. Well… Everyone except me and Kirigiri."

"I see."

"Why'd you ask?"

Seiko shook her head slightly. "Nothing, I just thought it was odd."

"Odd? How so?"

Naegi looked at Seiko and saw that her eyes were glimmering in delight. "You know? Back when we were still in high school. Kirigiri-san was always alone. She always work on her own. Sh—"

The flow of words spouting from Seiko's mouth stopped, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Seiko-senpai, aren't you talking a little too much?" Though her voice was calm, there was darkness present on it, a complete opposite from the expression plastered on her face. Although she was wearing the same expressionless mask, Naegi could clearly feel something was off. Is she mad? Annoyed? Irritated? Did Seiko said something she didn't like?

"I- I- I'm sorry. I just found it fascinating that you're finally allowing someone to help you out. I- I- I thought that it would be nice if I talk to him a little bit." Seiko explained quietly.

"I appreciate your concern towards me and I'm really grateful that you care about me. But Seiko-senpai… don't—"

"—stick your nose in someone's business. Is that what you're going to say? Kirigiri-san?"

Kirigiri narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at the older girl.

"Listen," Seiko stood up and faced Kirigiri with concern plastered on her face. "I- I am doing this because I am worried about you. Seeing you like this for years reminds me of what I've done to myself. I shut myself inside a comfort zone because I thought that no one would understand and appreciate me. You on the other hand . . ."

Seiko walked over to Kirigiri's right side and whispered, "You've been trying to withdraw from others because you think you're too broken, you think they won't appreciate you, you think they won't understand the things that's going inside your head. I know what happened to you changed you, but you can't let that beat you down forever."

Naegi looked at them with curiosity, he couldn't hear a single word that Seiko's telling Kirigiri nor even read Seiko's lips. But one thing that surprised him was the change in Kirigiri's expression as she bit her lip. Her eyes reflected such sadness that words couldn't depict.

 _What's happening?_

He watched them quietly and felt a sting in his heart when he saw how much Kirigiri was holding her tears back. As he was about to intervene, Seiko pat Kirigiri's shoulder gently and smiled at her, then at him before finally leaving the library.

When Kirigiri sat a seat away from him and started, scanning the books that he had borrowed. He watched her intently; trying to feel the atmosphere, trying not to rub a salt into Kirigiri's wound as he speak his worry.

"Kirigiri-san, are you okay? Do you want me to get you something?" He asked, voice lace with serious concern.

 _Makoto Naegi, you dumbass why are you even asking her if she's fine? She's obviously not!_ He thought to himself as he waited for her response.

"No, thank you and I'm alright," She spoke conservatively, voice slightly stained with uneasiness. "Let's just finish this research quickly so we can go home early."

"Okay." Naegi smiled softly at her, hoping that somehow the polite gesture would make her feel a little better. As he shifted his gaze and picked up the book that he was reading a while ago, he thought of her and the sting that he had felt in his heart when he saw the loneliness in her eyes. Naegi was sure that he wanted to fix her. He wanted to make sure that whatever had shattered her before would be no more. He thought she was beautiful, complex and misunderstood just like him. The thought of someone hurting her, and the thought of her being alone was making his heart wrench.

He wanted to know her more; he wanted to know what caused the sadness in her eyes.

However, he wasn't quite sure how he could make their relationship grow. He wasn't quite sure if he's _'good enough'_ to be her friend. He wasn't quite sure if he'd say the right words to make her smile and forget whatever it is that caused her loneliness.

 _Nevertheless, he thought that it's better to do something than to regret not doing what his heart wanted._

To make her forget all of the pain and to wash away her sadness, was what now his uttermost desire.

"You've been staring at me for quite some time, what's the matter?" Kirigiri asked quietly, eyes still trained on the book she's reading.

"I'm just wondering if it's okay to you if we'd walk home together? It's already 6pm and I thought it wouldn't be nice if I let you walk alone since it's starting to get dark outside."

Kirigiri felt flustered inside as she looked at Naegi, smiling at her.

Averting her gaze back to the book, she responded with a nod as she said, "Thank you."

"Kirigiri-san, I hope you won't mind if I ask you some questions."

"I won't as long as it won't annoy me."

Naegi gazed forward as they walked side by side on their way to the café Naegi works at, as Kirigiri wanted to drop by the shop before going home.

"Tell me about yourself, Kirigiri-san."

Kirigiri remained mute for a few minutes as she thought for a moment.

"There really isn't much to say."

Naegi furrowed his brows. He knew she was lying, her gestures tells him that she has a lot to say.

Over his silent response, it was Kirigiri's turn to ask questions.

"Don't you have work today?"

"I should have but I told Sayaka-chan that I have some important errands to do." He smiled.

She wasn't interested in people but for some reason, she wanted to ask him myriad of questions. She was envious that this guy's so carefree. How does he do it? Who is Naegi Makoto?

"Naegi-kun. Tell me about yourself." She spoke quietly as they continued to walk on the gritted sidewalk to the café.

"I'm Makoto Naegi. I live four blocks away from the café I've been working at. I live alone with my sister, Komaru. I like colors blue and green and . . . what else?" Naegi thought and hummed before speaking up. "And I really find Kirigiri-san interesting."

Naegi looked away, but that was what Kirigiri had thought. She didn't know that out of the corner of his eye, he was observing her – trying to know what her reaction would be upon hearing his last response.

"Interesting, huh?" Her lips curved involuntarily to a small smile with his words.

 _How am I even interesting?_ She thought, knowing that everyone she has met almost have the same impression that she's cold and serious. She wanted to ask him but she opted to remain mute as they continued to walk. _Why is he so nice to me? Is he really like this?_

Kirigiri's insides gave a turn in her heart as she thought of how Naegi's treating her differently. His company made her feel lighter, it made her feel foreign feelings that she couldn't describe.

Nevertheless, she liked it.

"Kirigiri-san, Makoto-kun, Konbanwa!" Sayaka greeted cheerfully with a smile. She quickly assisted them and ushered them to the table near the plane window.

"Sayaka-san, I'm sorry that you have to work twice as hard because of my absence today, I'm really sorry." Naegi sighed as he looked up at the blue-haired girl.

"It's alright, Makkun, I understand that you have to do a research for your biology project."

' _Mak…kun?'_ Kirigiri looked at the two of them – she felt a pang. A heart-stirring pang.

They were too close and they both shine brightly in her eyes. She thought they were a perfect match. Sayaka was pretty, and Makoto, well at least for her - looked like a decent person with a certain charm. She wondered if the two have something for each other.

The absurd thoughts made her think, as she looked at the two smiling and laughing while teasing one another.

Of course, they probably have.

Calling her name, Naegi snapped her back to reality.

"Kirigiri-san? Hey, Kirigiri-san?"

He smiled at her distracted stare.

"Are you alright? Sayaka was asking you what was your order but it seems as though you're thinking of something."

Heaving a sigh, she responded in a calm demeanor. "Nothing, just some things I need to do once I get home."

Naegi furrowed his brows slightly, doubtful of her response.

"Are you sure? You look worried for a second. It's rare to see you wear such expression."

 _Was I…?_

Kirigiri assured him with a nod and a soft, "yes." As a response before diverting her attention to Sayaka to say her orders.

When Sayaka left their table, Naegi heaved sigh and looked at Kirigiri who's looking out of the window before he spoke in a barely audible voice,

"You're such a mystery, Kirigiri-san, but someday I'll find out what's bothering you."

A/N: Hontou ni Gomenazai with the grammar errors if there are again. :D

I hope you guys liked this chapter! :D


	6. Chapter 6

While waiting for their orders, Kirigiri rested her back against the café couch's cushion and stared up to the ceiling as she let out a small sigh.

"Is there something wrong, Kirigiri-san?" She heard him ask.

"Nothing…" She responded coldly as she closed her eyes.

"You're tired, aren't you?" She could hear the smile in his voice, and his gaze directed at her. The thought of Naegi's smiling face made her feel ticklish inside. She hasn't felt anything like this before. Why does she feel like this towards him?

 _What exactly am I feeling?_

"A bit." She covered her mouth and yawned, before resting her entwined hands over her lap. Wanting to stay awake, she fluttered her eyes open but then closed them again as sleepiness was slowly taking over her.

She heard him chuckle softly as he said, "You're cute when you're like this." In a soft and barely audible voice.

She felt her heart flutter. _This flirt._ She thought to herself as she forcefully opened her eyes slightly to throw a cold glare at him, which miserably failed when she caught him staring at her with a soft smile – exactly as how she pictured him inside of her head.

"Naegi-kun," She called calmly as she averted her gaze outside of the window to hide her reddened cheeks.

"What is it?"

"Are you always like this?"

 _Do you always say words that make people feel something? Do you always say words that make other people feel… special?_

From the corner of her eye, Kirigiri could see the confusion painted on his face as he furrowed his brow and cocked his head slightly to the side as if he was thinking. Unable to figure out what she meant, he asked, "Huh? What do you mean?"

"I see… You're truly an idiot then." She sighed.

Naegi laughed and faked a pained expression as he clutched his chest. "Kirigiri-san, you're rude."

Her heart was smiling; he is making her heart drown in happiness in his simple silly ways. Ever so slowly, a small smile began to creep upon her face as she said the words, "I know."

As Kirigiri looked at him, he saw his eyes widened as if he had seen a treasure and his cheeks were tainted pink.

Something was telling her that he was awed with her smile.

But, a part of her was telling her that – that wouldn't happen.

He probably remembered something. That's it.

 _He has Maizono-san. He's probably offended or has remembered something because of what you've said, Kyouko._ She said to herself as she averted her gaze back to the window.

Emerging from the work area, Sayaka took off her apron and left it on the counter as she walked hastily in Makoto's and Kirigiri's table.

With two cups of coffee and two plates of chocolate cheesecake on the tray in her hands.

"Two cups of luwak coffee and two chocolate cheesecake specially delivered by your favorite café waitress." Sayaka said cheerfully with a smile.

As Sayaka set the cheesecakes down, Kirigiri simply looked at her.

The blue haired girl grinned.

"Ah, I know you ordered the blueberry one for take-out but, I made a chocolate flavored one before you two came and I thought it would be nice if two of my friends would be the one who'd try it out first."

 _Friend?_ _We barely know each other but she already considers me as her friend?_

"I really hope I didn't screw up and you guys would like it." Sayaka said shyly, face reddened.

"I'm sure we will. Thank you, Maizono-san." Kirigiri said, as she bowed her head slightly to thank the girl.

"I'll be heading back to the counter then," Half way through the counter, Sayaka stopped and turned around to face them once more. "I truly hope that you guys would like it, or it wouldn't taste bad. I'll catch up with you guys later and give you guys your take outs as well."

With that, Sayaka went back to the counter and started serving other costumers.

As Makoto took a bite of the chocolate cheesecake, Kirigiri looked at him, examining the expression on his face to determine whether the cake is good or not.

"O-oishi!" Makoto said in awe as he took another bite.

Kirigiri then took a bite of her cheesecake, and found it too sweet for her taste.

"It's good right?" Makoto said with a smile as he took another cheesecake into his mouth.

"It's too sweet though," She said frankly. "It's not my cup of tea but it's alright… I guess."

He chuckled, "Not a fan of sweet foods?"

"Never had been." Kirigiri replied as she took a sip of her coffee.

"So what are your interests?" Naegi asked as he set the fork down on the plate, propped his chin on his hand, and studied her.

Kirigiri raised a brow as she put her coffee down on the table and sighed. "Why are you so interested in me?"

"Because I don't know anything about you." Makoto responded as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Really? Is it not because of you, wanting to know what's bothering me?"

"You heard that!?"

Kirigiri nodded. "You should have kept it inside your head if you didn't want anyone to hear it."

Makoto bashfully looked down and scratched the back of his head as he smiled. "I guess so."

" _He's such a boy."_ She thought, as she stared at him and let out a soft sigh. "Naegi-kun, are you available this Saturday?"

"Wh—I…" A flustered Makoto looked at her with surprise in his eyes. His cheeks were once again, reddened, and his lips trembled slightly before responding, "I-I… I think I am. What's with—"

"I was going to ask you to if you could go out with me to hunt for the materials that we need for the doping potion that we have to make for the biology exhibit," Kirigiri said as calmly as she could, to prevent Makoto from peeping through her iron mask. Deep inside she knew she was excited with the thought of being alone with him this weekend. Her heart was saying the same thing as well as it beat twice as fast as it normally does.

"I-I see," He nervously laughed.

"You were thinking of something else, weren't you?"

"I wasn't. It's just…" _Com'on Makoto, think!_ "It's the first time someone ever asked me to go out and accompany them aside from Sayaka-chan."

"Well, you're my partner after all. It can't be helped."

"You're right. You're my partner after all so I should help you and do the best that I can to make this project possible."

As their conversation died down, silence covered the delicate atmosphere between them. They were both expecting a tension filled one, but it wasn't. As it was sweet and precious for the both of them.

Upon getting home, Kirigiri found her face buried underneath her pillows, effectively blocking out the world for a few minutes as her thoughts to Makoto and all of the things that has happened today.

Now lying on her bed, she felt the cold breeze blew in from her slightly opened side window.

It was weird how she felt secured in her bed for the first time in years. She wondered, was it also because of him?

Whilst lost in thought, she heard the sky rumble and saw the window glow from the corner of her eye, as lightning pierced through the skies.

Ever so gently, water droplets started to make quiet-tapping sounds, following a rhythm of song on the roof.

The soft sounds slowly soothed her nerves and made her sleepy.

As she slowly closes her eyes, her lips broke into a small smile of content, as her thoughts and soon, her dreams lingered around _him._

"Makoto-nii, you look stupid." Komaru remarked jokingly as she poked her brother's cheek, she couldn't help but to just say how ridiculous he looked like with the stupid wide grin plastered all over his face while they were watching TV.

"Huh?" He asked with eyes focused on the TV screen, still grinning.

"I said, you look stupid," Komaru sighed as she rests her hand on her forehead lightly. "Seriously, ever since you came back you've been smiling like that. What happened? Did you finally ask Sayaka-nee out?"

"What?!" He looked at her questioningly, brows furrowed in confusion.

"Well, ever since we're young you guys are really close and Sayaka-nee seems like she likes you. So I thought you finally made the first move." Komaru said slyly; face slowly breaking into a mischievous smile.

"Koma-chan, how many times do I have to tell you that Sayaka and I are just best friends and nothing more?"

"Eh? But…"

"Hm?"

Komaru shook her head and sighed. "It's nothing. Anyway, I think I'll be going to bed. Oyasumi, Makoto-nii."

"Oyasumi."

As soon as Komaru left the living room, he turned the TV off and rested his head against the sofa as he stared into the ceiling.

His stomach felt ticklish as the thought of Kirigiri flooded his mind. He couldn't believe that they'd be going out this Saturday. Although he knows that they'd be going out to gather the ingredients and materials that they need for the school project, he couldn't help but to be excited, especially that he has a plan to make that day special for the both of them.

 **Friday**

The day became slower than usual, Kirigiri felt bored; she just wanted to go home, to sleep and to greet Saturday with glee. She was tempted to contact him, but she doesn't even know what to tell him. The struggle was real.

As she entered her English class, she saw Maizono smiling and waving at her, even motioning her to seat on the chair that she had reserved just for her.

"Kirigiri-san~" Her melodic voice rang though the room, catching the attention of their classmates, which made most of them look at them with their brows furrowed in curiosity.

Kirigiri quietly passed by the other students as she ignored their gaze and sat on the chair Maizono has reserved for her, after all it was where she sat before, her favorite spot by the window.

"Ohayou, Kirigiri-san~" The blue-haired girl greeted with her cheerful smile.

Kirigiri gave her a small smile before greeting her back with a quiet good morning. It was weird how she felt envious of Maizono even though she consider her as somewhat her friend. There was something about her – that made her feel restless. That even though she was so nice to her, there's just something… this something that makes her feel uncomfortable around her.

The class was going smoothly until everyone heard the school bell ring. As the professor flickered the lights open, most of the students in the lecture hall rushed out of the room, leaving six to seven students including her and Maizono.

"Kirigiri-san, are you free after this subject?"

Kirigiri nodded silently as she was fixing and putting her things back inside her knapsack.

"Great!" She heard Maizono said excitedly. "Do you want to eat lunch with me at the roof top? I really want to talk to you but it's okay if you don't want to… I mean…" The girl chuckled nervously, she was rambling, and Kirigiri found it adorable how the girl was embarrassed of asking her to lunch.

"If you're busy then it's okay we can have lunch together some othe-"

"It's alright. I'd love to join you for lunch. Think of this as my way of saying thank you for reserving me this seat." Kirigiri said quietly as she tapped the desk while looking at Maizono.

"I'm relieved. Anyway, let's go!"

The scenery at the rooftop was beautiful. She could clearly see the trees surrounding the academy, but Kirigiri couldn't appreciate it fully because she felt weird around being with Maizono, it was as if something wasn't right. There's something that's bothering her, she wasn't sure if it's because of the fact that she envies her or maybe it was because of something else.

While they were eating silently, she felt Maizono shifted her position, and from the corner of her eye, she could see the blue-haired girl looking at her.

Setting the sandwich down on her lap, she turned her head to the side to face her and asked, "What is it?"

Sayaka smiled and placed her bento box down before, leaning her back against the wall and lifting her knees up to her chest. She hugged them tightly and rested her head on them as she looked at Kirigiri.

"Kirigiri-san, have you… ever felt in love?"

The question got her offguard, she was dumbfounded for a moment as Naegi suddenly appeared in her mind. She couldn't reply as it was too straightforward and personal for her. She pursed her lips, seriously considering her answer, but decided against it.

She was afraid, afraid to admit that she likes him – worse, even slowly falling for him.

"I haven't." She responded quietly. _Where is this going!?_

"Kirigiri-san, I'm a mess." Sayaka whispered, as she looked up to the sky and sighed.

"What are you talking about?"

"I-I'm in love. I didn't realize that I was until… now."

"Maizono-san I don't understand… where is this—"

"I'm in love, Kirigiri. I'm in love with my bestfriend, Makoto-kun."

Kirigiri's hand curled into a fist as she felt her heart froze upon hearing those words from Sayaka's lips. She didn't know how to respond. She wanted to tell her that she might be feeling the same way but just like what she always do, she kept silent and chose to hide the emotions that she felt as Sayaka continued.

"I never really thought that it was possible to love him – to even like him. But I realized that I've been in love with him for so long… There's something about him that just makes everything okay. His optimism is infectious and so as his smile. He knows the right things to say whenever I feel really down. He makes me happy – more than happy—"

Kirigiri wasn't listening anymore, only thinking to herself.

 _I know what you mean, Maizono-san. I know exactly what you mean…_

She smiled sadly to herself as Sayaka gushed about him on and on.

She was thinking… maybe… she should suppress her emotions for him before she completely fall for him.

A/N: Sorry again if there are wrong grammars or such, and for the late update as well. I've been quite busy with life lately so. yeah, i didn't have enough time to write fanfics : anyway, I hope you guys like this! 3


	7. Chapter 7

**Short update! :D**

Kirigiri found herself walking towards a familiar place after having lunch with Maizono. One-step in front of the other, over leaves and bridges. The silence of her surroundings is totally in contrast with her internal turmoil. For the first time, her mind had gone haywire, her emotions were scattered, and her walls, shattered.

As she sat underneath the tree, she hugged her knees and buried her face into her arms. It was weird how she felt as though that she should stay back, to stay away from him to stop herself from liking him any further. She didn't want to see Maizono hurt, neither to be the reason that would break Naegi and Maizono's longtime friendship.

Lifting her head slightly to look at the bells she hanged on the trees' branches, she whispered, "Dad, what should I do?" as tears started to well up in her eyes.

Alone, she wallowed, unable to think straight, unable to figure out what she should do.

 _I hate this. I hate this feeling. Why do I even feel this way towards him?_

Her thoughts were disturbed when she heard the crunching of leaves behind her. She quickly turned her gaze to the direction of the noise, and stopped breathing entirely for a while, with her eyes widened and mouth opened slightly in surprise.

"Kirigiri-san!? Are you okay!?"

She saw none other than a worried Naegi rushing towards her.

"N-Naegi…" She was stammering, an indication that her walls has been destroyed, exposing all the emotions behind her defenses. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I was about to look for you to ask you something, when I saw you running to this place. So I followed you."

Naegi kneeled in front of her, and wiped the tears streaming down her eyes. She could clearly see how worried he was, as it was evident in his forest green-eyes.

"What's wrong?" She hated it. She hates the sympathetic look on his face. She hates how she feels so weak in front of him. She hates what she's feeling towards him. She hates being stuck in this situation. She hated it all.

"It's nothing. It's nothing…" She whispered softly, voice slightly cracking, right hand curling into a tight fist.

To her surprise, she felt Naegi's hand cup her face. He gently tilted her head upwards to face him to look at him straight in his eyes.

"Kirigiri… please tell me, what's wrong." He begged desperately, heart earnestly yearning to fix the girl.

Mustering all of her strength to regain her stoic composure, she swatted his hand away from her face and pushed him onto his back on the ground as she stood up.

As she turned around to walk away, she had a quick glance of him and saw the shock that was plastered on his face because of her action.

"Didn't I tell you to stop meddling with my affairs?" She said coldly, as she felt her heart contract with pain. This is where she's good at, pushing people away before they could even get a chance to know her well. "Why can't you understand that?"

Naegi picked himself up from the ground and dust himself as he stood straight behind her. He watched her walk for a few steps before responding, "Why can't you understand that I want to know what's bothering you? I want to know what's running inside that head of yours. I want to know who the true Kirigiri Kyouko is. Is that hard for you to understand as well?!"

As Kirigiri stopped dead in her tracks, she turned around to face him, nails digging into her palm as she clenched her hand tighter.

"Why do you even bother!? Why do you even want to know me when I show nothing but rudeness to you!? W-"

"Because I know that you're more than that. I could feel that there's more to Kirigiri Kyouko and I want to know who you really are." He smiled and she felt her heart stung.

"You're wrong. This is me. A cold, rude girl who'd just hurt you if you get closer to me." Said Kirigiri, defiant.

He walked a little closer to her as he closed his eyes and sighed. "Why won't you just let others to know you?"

"I don't even know what I feel. I don't even understand myself. It would be a waste of time explaining things that I couldn't explain."

Naegi's expression softened as he closed the gap in between them and said, "I have a feeling that you want others to know you, that you want to be with someone, to form a bond, but you're too scared that people will find the way of your thinking to be complex. You don't want to explain yourself because you think it would just be a waste of time."

She remained mute, as she stepped back and clutched her right hand against her chest. He was right. That's exactly how she feels. How did he figured it out?

"Am I right, Kirigiri-san?"

Kirigiri, once again, has stayed quiet.

"Kirigiri, please tell me what's wrong." Naegi's voice broke the silence. His voice was firmer than the last time, truly eager to know what's causing her hurt.

 _Everything, everything's wrong._

"It's nothing…"

She turned around, but before she could even walk away, she felt Naegi's grip on her wrist. He carefully spun her around to look at him as he said, "I won't let you leave until you're okay. Tell me what's wrong! I want to hel—"

Heart bursting, she spoke loudly. "Maizono-san likes you!"

Both of their eyes widened in shock. Kirigiri gasped as she covered her mouth. She wanted to take her words back but she knows she couldn't.

"What does that have to do with anything, Kirigiri?" Naegi asked in confusion, brows furrowed, eyes showing nothing but curiosity.

"Maizono-san likes you. What if… What if she gets jealous because I'm with you all the time? What if-" She bit her lower lip hard before she continued. "What if the relationship we have right now is hurting her? I don't want to hurt anyone, I don't want to hurt Maizono-san and I know you wouldn't want to hurt her as well. That's why—"

"But… I like you, Kirigiri-san."


	8. Chapter 8

**Makoto**

The warmth of the Friday morning sunlight kissed Makoto's skin through the window. As the melodious chirping of birds had awakened him from his rejuvenating slumber, he sat up in bed and smiled to himself. It was ridiculous how dreaming about her seemed to have already made his day, when it hasn't even started yet.

"Is it even possible to like someone even if I barely know them?" He thought as he jumped out of bed and stretched.

From the very start, he wasn't quite sure why he had been so wondered by her, but after seeing a glimpse of loneliness in her eyes, there's this feeling that made him want to know her better. The feeling of wanting to take away whatever it is, that is hurting her. The feeling of wanting to take away the loneliness that she's feeling – to fix her. As she now haunted his thoughts and heart, he knew he was falling for her. He knew he has an affection for her, like no one else.

"Ohayou! Makoto-nii." Komaru lively greeted as soon as Makoto walked down stairs.

"Ohayou, Komaru. Why are you smiling like that?"

The smile on Komaru's lips widened as she pointed her eyes toward the kitchen. As Makoto peeked through the kitchen's doorframe, his eyes widened in surprise, when he saw none other than Sayaka standing in front of the kitchen stove, cooking breakfast.

Noticing his presence, the blue-haired girl looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Ohayou, Makkun."

"Sayaka-san? What are you doing here?"

Sayaka chuckled and shrugged before diverting her attention back to what she was cooking. "I just thought I'd drop by, I haven't seen Komaru in a while. I kinda missed her."

"I see," Makoto walked over to the counter close to the stove and leaned his back against it, while facing Sayaka. "Do you want me to give you a hand?"

Sayaka shook her head and looked at him. "It's fine. I'm almost done anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"Um-hmm," Sayaka nodded.

"I'll just set the table then."

"Arigato, Makkun." Her lips curled into a smile as her eyes flashes brightly upon looking shortly at him.

"You never changed," He spoke quietly as he returned the smile. As he turned around to grab some utensils and plates, he felt Sayaka staring at him questioningly.

"What does that mean?" She asked as she turned the stove off and leaned her back against the counter beside the stove.

"Since we're young, you're always the one who seemed to be more reliable, more matured and kind. I feel lucky to have a best friend like you." He laughed as he walked over to the dining area and set the plates and the utensils down on the table.

"That's not true," Sayaka spoke quietly. "I'm the one who's lucky to have someone like you by my side, Makoto-kun. You're the one who I always rely on and you're the matured one between the two of us. It's funny how you don't realize it but… you are…" Sayaka paused and pursed her lip as she looked down on the floor, her hands intertwined nervously in front of her. "You are… very special to me, Makkun."

"Sayaka…" The two flushed upon hearing the words. Makoto's was due to flattery and Sayaka's was because of the fact that, she couldn't believe that she had just said it. Looking at him nervously, she wondered what he's going to say. She wondered, what Makoto thinks of her. She wondered if Makoto had ever taken an interest in her, or had ever liked her more than just a friend. With those thoughts filling her head, she started feeling her heart race with the anticipation of the words that could slip out from his lips.

"Sayaka-san is also special to me. I don't think I'd be who I am right now without you. Thank you, Sayaka." He spoke quietly, with a lopsided smile on his face.

His answer was vague for her, but it has given her hope. A hope that he's feeling the same emotions that she feels for him.

xxxx

"Yoo! Naegi-kun!" A smiling Hinata greeted as he entered their physics classroom in a zombie like fashion – his eyes were focused on the floor and he looked as if he was dragging his feet as he was walking.

As Naegi sat on the seat Hinata reserved for him, he rested his head on his crossed arms on the desk. His friend immediately noticed his sluggish mood and asked him what's wrong.

 _Nothing._

He thought to himself as he turned his head slightly to look at his friend, without removing his resting head on his arms. "I'm just tired."

Hajime faked a surprised expression and looked at him slyly as he said, "Don't tell me you've done it with Kirigiri-san while you two were alone at the chemistry laboratory yesterday at lunch!?"

Naegi bolted up from his position and looked at Hajime, embarrassment evident on his reddened face. "What!? W-what the hell are you talking about!?"

Hajime grinned. "Now that's the Naegi-kun I know." Naegi furrowed his brows and looked at him seriously. "Hey, hey, I'm sorry alright. I'm just not used seeing you like this. Why are you acting weird today? Something wrong aside from not having Biology class today?"

"Where is this going?" Naegi asked, narrowing his eyes slightly at his friend.

"You know where," Hajime laughed. "Whenever it's our Biology class you're brimming with energy and smiles but when it comes to other subjects, you look like a zombie in disguise."

"I just find the topics in that class interesting, nothing _more_."

"Like I'd buy that, you're obviously radiating with energy everytime you're in that class because of Kirigiri-san," Hajime said. "Why won't you just tell her that you like her? Who knows, she might say she likes you back."

Makoto scoffed, "That's impossible, I don't think she'll ever like someone like me, someone as ordinary and boring like me."

Hajime frowned and shook his head disappointedly in a joking manner as he tapped Makoto's shoulder.

"You'll never know unless you try."

Opposite to his playful demeanor, his voice as he said the words were soft and encouraging, which made Makoto look at him.

"Naegi-kun, you can't bottle up what you feel. You can't live in fear that she might reject you because of the fact that you think it's impossible that she'll ever like you either."

"It's not like that…" Makoto sighed. Hajime raised a brow at him as he cupped his face with his right hand and urged his friend to continue what he has in mind. "It's just that, I don't want everything to be awkward between the two of us and I don't know her that much yet, it would be weird if I tell her that I like her even if we've just met each other days ago."

"Well, love is a mystery no man can ever solve, Naegi-kun. But, if I were you? I'd grab the opportunity to tell her what I feel before it's too late."

" _before it's too late?"_ Makoto looked at him with curiosity and confusion.

"You'll never know what's going to happen in the future, Naegi-kun. Well, who knows," He shrugged. "Maybe one day, someone would sweep the girl off her feet before you do and you'll end up wallowing in regret."

xxx

When lunch came, Makoto pondered upon his friend's words as he sat on the gymnasium's bleachers, eating a yakisoba pan. He wondered why Hajime was so persistent when it comes to confessing his feelings to Kirigiri. He asked him why he knew he even have such feelings for her and he just responded that it's a man's intuition and that _the way he looked at her reminds him of how he used to look at Chiaki when they were still 'friends.'._

"Naegi-kun." A familiar voice called behind him. Looking over his shoulders, he saw Seiko, holding two cans of fruit juice in her hands. "Here."

She offered one to him. At first, he declined the offer, but Seiko insisted that's why in the end, he took the fruit juice from her hand and politely say, "thank you." with a smile on his face.

"Seiko-senpai, I'm just wondering, what brings you here and why did you give me this?" Makoto lifted the can of juice and looked at Seiko as she sat beside him.

The white-haired girl shrugged. "Maybe to say thank you?"

"For what?"

"For being nice with Kyouko-chan, and for not giving up on her even if she's kind of cold and distant."

"Kirigiri-san is cold and distant at first but, when I talked to her yesterday, even if she was quite frank and quite rude…" he laughed quietly remembering their conversations last night and continued with a lopsided smile. "I could feel that there's more to learn about her, I want to know her better. Not just because she's my partner but also because…"

Seiko looked at him, eyes twinkling with curiosity and her lips stretched into a smile behind her mask.

"But also because?" Her question was said in a slightly sing-song manner, which made Makoto flushed when he realized he almost spilled that he likes her.

"Because…" Thankfully, he immediately thought of an alibi. "Because, I want to be her friend."

"Hmmm, friend huh?" The grin was evident under her mask. "I thought you're going to say something else."

"N-no. I-I wasn't. Anyway, Seiko-senpai. How did you met Kirigiri-san? And why is it that even if you guys are friends, you guys are kind of distant?"

"Kyouko-chan has been through a lot since her father's death. She withdrawn from almost everything when her father died. She stopped going to school for quite some time and has avoided most of her friends, giving them a cold shoulder because she claimed she wasn't in herself. The next thing she knew she ended up being hated by everyone because of the sudden change of her personality. She then, found comfort in being alone but I know deep inside she wanted to have someone to understand her." Seiko sighed and smiled. "Because… I've been through that tough path too."

The two spent a good 30 minutes talking, Seiko told him stories about her life, which reminds him of the days he spent in middle school; being bullied and called weak and useless. But the part of their conversation that almost made him tear up was when Seiko told him everything he knew about Kirigiri. It made him muster every ounce of strength that he has just to maintain her composure in front of Seiko.

 _She's all alone._

 _I… Never knew._

xxx

With 30 more minutes remaining before his break ends, Makoto set afoot to find Kirigiri. It was a shame he forgot to bring his phone with him, it would have made everything easier.

He wasted no time, and decided to look for her in the place where she always go. As he was walking towards the garden, he saw her running into the woods. He ran outside and carefully followed her, cautious not to be noticed, as he wanted to maintain a safe distance – sensing that something was wrong.

He hid in the bushes, looking at her from a far. She was hugging her legs as she was leaning against the tree, whispering words to the wind, which he couldn't hear. As the afternoon sun lit her face, he noticed traces of tears on her face. It broke him. He wondered what caused them, he wondered if he could do something to make things all right. At that moment, he had the urge to hold her and to put her broken pieces back together.

He gulped as he walked towards her. The leaves crunching underneath his feet caught the violet-haired girl's attention - startling her.

"Kirigiri-san!? Are you okay?"

He rushed towards her when he saw her eyes glimmer with unshed tears. He was worried, that the word itself is an understatement of how he deeply cares for her.

"N-Naegi." The girl stammered, shock still painted on her face. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I was about to look for you to ask you something, when I saw you running to this place. So I followed you."

He kneeled in front of her, and wiped the tears streaming down her face. He was worried. _What made her cry like this?_ He wondered.

"What's wrong?" He asked again, ears longing for an answer, heart yearning to fix her.

"It's nothing… It's nothing…" She whispered.

 _Tell me. Please tell me._

Desperate, he cupped her face and gently tilted her head upwards to look at him straight in his eyes.

"Kirigiri, please tell me what's wrong." His voice was soft, and desperate. He want to know, he want to help. He'll do everything.

His eyes widened when she swatted his hand away and pushed him back onto his back on the ground. The girl wiped her face and regained her stoic composure as she stood up.

"Didn't I tell you to stop meddling with my affairs?" She said coldly, but her words doesn't have power, he knew she was trying to be tough. He knew she was trying to build the walls around her again, to prevent people from going inside and to know what's underneath the expressionless mask.

"Why can't you understand that?"

 _Why can't you understand that I want to know you? That I want to help you? That I want to be close to you!?_

Makoto picked himself up from the ground and dust himself, watching Kirigiri walk for a few steps before saying, "Why can't you understand that I want to know what's bothering you? I want to know what's running inside that head of yours? I want to know who the true Kirigiri Kyouko is. Is that hard for you to understand as well!?"

The girl stopped dead in her tracks and faced him, fist clenched.

"Why do you even bother!? Why do you even want to know me when I show nothing but rudeness to you!? W-"

"Because I know that you're more than that. I could feel that there's more to Kirigiri Kyouko and I want to know who you really are." He smiled sadly at her, recalling Seiko's stories.

"You're wrong. This is me. A cold, rude girl who'd just hurt you if you get closer to me." Said a defiant Kirigiri.

He walked a little closer to her as he closed his eyes and sighed. "Why won't you just let others to know you?"

"I don't even know what I feel. I don't even understand myself. It would be a waste of time explaining things that I couldn't explain."

Naegi's expression softened as he closed the gap in between them and said, "I have a feeling that you want others to know you that you want to be with someone, to form a bond, but you're too scared that people will find the way of your thinking to be complex. You don't want to explain yourself because you think it would just be a waste of time."

The girl remained mute, as she stepped back and clutched her right hand against her chest. Makoto paused a bit. He knows he has pushed too far.

"Am I right, Kirigiri-san?"

Kirigiri, once again, has stayed quiet.

"Kirigiri, please tell me what's wrong." He spoke, breaking the silence. His voice was firmer than the last time, truly eager to know what's causing her hurt.

"It's nothing…"

When the girl turned around, he immediately grabbed her wrist, before she could even walk away. He carefully spun her around to look at him as he said, "I won't let you leave until you're okay. Tell me what's wrong! I want to hel—"

"Maizono-san likes you!" Her words caused him shock.

Both of their eyes widened. Kirigiri gasped as she covered her mouth as if she has said something she shouldn't have.

"What does that have to do with anything, Kirigiri?" Naegi asked, confused. _Is this why she's crying?_

"Maizono-san likes you. What if… What if she gets jealous because I'm with you all the time? What if-" He watched her bit her lower lip hard before she continued.

 _Does that mean she…_

"What if the relationship we have right now is hurting her? I don't want to hurt anyone, I don't want to hurt Maizono-san and I know you wouldn't want to hurt her as well. That's why—"

Mustering all of his courage, he cuts her off as he said,

" _But… I like you, Kirigiri-san."_

 ** _Hello, I didn't proofread this one again, so sorry if ever there might be grammatical errors and such. College work is burning me to the ground, too many quizzes and homeworks and tons of priorities. I hope you guys like this chapter! Thank you for 30 follows and 18 Favorites! I extremely appreciate it. *Lots love.*_**


	9. Chapter 9

Kirigiri's eyes widened upon hearing the boy's earnest words. Her bright lilac eyes covered by pain and hurt.

She could feel her heart aching so strongly, as different emotions came flooding in. She clutched her chest, wanting to contain it – but miserably failing as she felt her head reeling, she felt as though that she would collapse any minute. Never did she imagine somebody would love nor like her because of her attitude, let alone admit it straight in her face.

As she looked at the boy's flushed face, there was nothing more she wanted than to admit what she feels for him too— to finally meet her needs and to be selfish for once in her life.

But she couldn't.

Although she feels the same way, and had longed for someone to appreciate her for a long time. She had decided to make another painful decision.

He doesn't deserve someone like her.

He deserves better. He deserves someone better.

"Naegi-kun."

It hurts her, how the boy look at her with sincerity, and nervousness. But she has to do it.

"Please," Her voice was soft and weak, but loud enough for Makoto to hear. "Leave me alone."

Although, she couldn't look at him but she could feel his pain filled gaze boring a hole into her heart. She must do this. He must not like her… He must not.

"Kirigiri. . ." He whispered; his voice laced with hurt. As he walked pass by her, he stopped dead in his tracks and spoke in a quiet voice, "Why are you so afraid of letting people in?"

His question swept through her, she wanted to answer him but was unsure if he would even understand all of the things that's running inside her head. She doesn't know if he'll listen to her and understand where all of her fears were coming from, all of her doubts, all of her questions. She doesn't know if he'd feel the same way, or if he might say that it's such a childish reason for her to act this way.

"Just leave!" She screamed— heart hurting.

Makoto looked at her for the last time that day, leaving her with the soft-spoken word of "sorry." before leaving with a heavy feeling in his chest.

xxx

Makoto added foam to the drink he was mixing in his hand, scrambling to finish his customer's order before they start pestering him to work faster. He hasn't been in himself since the confrontation he had with Kirigiri. He kept on asking himself if what he said and did a while ago was right. He kept on asking it to himself repeatedly inside of his mind.

Although Seiko told him a lot about Kirigiri's past and what happened to her. He wanted to hear the whole story from the girl herself. He wanted to know everything, to understand and to take away the demons that were haunting her – the reason as to why she wouldn't want to let people inside her life, the reason as to why it's hard for her to trust anyone.

As their shift was about to end, Makoto was relieved to see that the line leading up to the cashier was now empty. He took his apron off and walked back towards the storage section of the café.

Once inside, he sat on the small desk near his locker and propped his elbows against the table as he covered his face with the palm of his hands.

He started thinking about what happened earlier, the words he spat out and the words she said.

" _Maizono-san likes you… What if she gets jealous because I'm with you all the time? What if-"_

" _What if the relationship we have right now is hurting her? I don't want to hurt anyone, I don't want to hurt Maizono-san, and I know you don't want to hurt her as well. That's why—"_

" _Why do you have to punish yourself and to push away those who wants to get close to you? You don't want to hurt anyone but you're hurting yourself. You want to form bonds but you're too afraid to open up, you're too afraid to let others see who you are. I-"_ Makoto's thoughts halt as a 'what if' has crossed his mind upon remembering the words she said on loop inside his head.

" _What does she mean by the last words she said? 'What if the relationship we have right now is hurting her?'"_

He pondered deeply, building on one theory upon another as he searched for her word's possible meaning.

" _Is it possible that she… likes me as well?"_

xxx

Kirigiri found herself sitting alone on her bed, with her back leaning against the wall and her hands clutching her phone to her chest. She was debating whether or not to apologize to him. She knew she had hurt him. She knew she'd regret spewing those venomous words, but this is where she's good at anyway. To keep people away from her. To keep people away from her so that they will not hurt her and so that she'd not hurt them any further as well.

 _How did he know what I feel?_ She asked as she stared at her phone screen, looking at his name, tempted to send him a message.

She closed her phone, to prevent her fingers from writing her apologies but just as she was about to set them down on the table. She felt it's vibration against her palm and saw his name flash on it's screen.

 _Kirigiri-san. I'm sorry for what happened a while ago. Is it okay if we still meet up tomorrow to gather the materials that we need for our Biology project?_

It took her a moment, before replying a simple, "Okay." to him. And after a few seconds, she immediately got a response.

 _I'm so glad you replied. I thought you're still mad at me. Anyway, see you tomorrow, goodnight!_

The simple message made her day a little better for some reason. She wondered if he ever hold grudge against others, he was unusually nice. She had never seen such kindness before. She wondered if this was one of his traits that made her admire him this much. She wondered if the boy's optimism could save her from this self-inflicted punishment, this self-inflicted pain. She wondered… She wondered deeply, if his words and his actions could save her.

But she was too scared to get close now, especially after Maizono has told her she loves him. She was scared of ruining things again. Knowing the fact that he likes her and her heart telling her she feels the same. It would not be impossible if they fall in love, and if they do… She knew, she might ruin not only Maizono and her's friendship but also the friendship that Naegi and Maizono has treasured.

As she put her phone down on the nightstand and heaved a sigh before tucking herself under the comforter, she found herself staring at the ceiling lost in deep thoughts, unable to sleep as her conscience haunts her, telling her to apologize for how she had acted a while ago. Normally, she wouldn't feel this way whenever she'd push people away from her.

But he was different.

Although a part of her wants to cut him off her life, there's a part of her that wants him to stay.

He was special.

And she knew he was, since the first day she saw him.

Saturday's morning sunrays shined brightly in through the windows, kissing Makoto's skin gently with it's warmth.

As soon as he woke up, he shifted to his side and grabbed his phone from his nightstand.

 _Ohayou, Kirigiri-san!_ Was the first messaged he composed as soon as he had his phone in his possession. He sent the message and jumped out of his bed to walk over to the window. He peered outside and smiled to himself. He felt his heart pounding with the thought of being with Kirigiri today, even though butterflies were tickling his stomach, he couldn't help but to be nervous as what happened yesterday crossed his mind.

He was sure that today's going to be awkward, but nonetheless, he was grateful that Kirigiri didn't decided to postpone the search for their project materials. This is going to be his chance, to explain himself thoroughly and to apologize to her, knowing that he had pushed her so hard yesterday. It was evident with the look on her face, he hadn't seen her like that before. He thought that maybe his words made her remember the source of her hurt.

The story that he wanted to hear from her mouth. The thorn that he want to pluck from her heart.

A/N : Hello, sorry for the late post! I had been busy these past few weeks because you know, life happens. But I hope the next chapter (which I am in the process of writing will make up to it.) Kirigiri's past would be revealed soon, the reason as to why she's kind of like that and why she's inflecting this self-induced torture to herself. With that said, there'd be R rated scenes soon, not quite sure what chapter it would be but there would definitely be! Anyway, love ya guys!


	10. Chapter 10

Sitting down on the bus stop's bench, Makoto sighed as he leaned forward to prop his right elbow to his knee. He has been waiting for almost 10 minutes, and still no signs of Kirigiri.

He was starting to fear that she might've ditched him, or, something might have happened to her on her way to the bus stop, since she wasn't taking his calls nor responding to his texts.

He sat there anxiously, mentally debating whether to look for her or not. He worries that she might just be late and if he leaves, she'd think he never came.

"Agh," He breathed in irritation as he dialed her number again. "Please pick up." He mumbled worriedly to himself as he looked at the screen.

"Naegi-kun."

His eyes shot wide as he lifted his gaze, only to see Kirigiri standing in front of him.

"Kirigiri-san!" He felt a flood of relief wash through him the moment he saw her. Soon enough upon having a good look at her; he felt a blush creeping into his cheeks.

She was wearing a sleeveless white collared blouse; tucked in her pastel blue A-line skirt.

 _C-Cute._

However, as his eyes caught her hands; his brows furrowed involuntarily as he remembered the conversation he had with Seiko.

" _Naegi-kun, do you notice something that Kyouko-chan always wear?"_

 _Makoto closed his eyes and tented his fingers under his chin as he thought of Kirigiri. 'something she always wear…'_

 _He opened his eyes, and cluelessly looked at Seiko. The silver haired girl sighed, and lifted her hand to show Naegi what she meant. Makoto's eyes widened in realization, that Kirigiri's wearing a pair of black gloves as well – almost similar to Seiko's._

" _Gloves?"_

 _Seiko nodded. "I wear gloves because I handle chemicals to create different kinds of potions and cures. But Kyouko-chan… she wears them everyday for another reason."_

 _The sadness in the silver-haired girl's voice was evident, as she started telling him everything that she knew._

" _Although Kyouko-chan never told me what truly happened, but she told me that she grew attached to someone and made a bad decision. Her gloves are a daily remainder of what happened to her."_

…

…

"You came too early," Kirigiri remarked, snapping Makoto back to reality. "The bus to Kamakura often arrives here around 10, and it's still 9:45."

Kirigiri silently sat down next to him, keeping a distance between them.

"A-ano, Kirigiri-san," He started, trying to keep his voice casual and his heartbeat steady. "I've been calling you for almost 15 minutes and you haven't answered any of it."

"Huh?"

Kirigiri pulled her phone out from her purse and saw Makoto's 20 missed calls as soon as she unlocked her screen.

"Why were you ca-"

"I was worried about you." Makoto spoke silently, cutting her off before she could even ask her question.

"Were you? Or were you worried that I might not show up?"

He looked at her with a small smile on his lips as he answered, "Yes, I was worried that you might not show up because of what happened yesterday. But I was also worried that something might've happened to you while you were on your way here."

Kirigiri heaved a sigh. "I'm old enough to take care of myself," Kirigiri turned her face slightly away from Makoto's gaze as she continued, "but thank you for being concerned."

His soft smile widened as he caught a pink tint crept across her cheeks. "Of course, I'm concerned. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you…"

 _Again._

As the bus arrived, they sat next to each other, with Kirigiri occupying the seat next to the window. On their way to Kamakura, Makoto noticed that Kirigiri was staring silently outside of the window, sadness evident in her eyes as her mind seems to drift in haunting thoughts. Wanting to distract her from it, he pulled his phone out and plugged his earphones in before tapping Kirigiri's shoulder lightly.

As he got her attention, he gave his phone to her and tucked her hair behind her ear before putting one of the earphone to her ear.

"You looked bored so I thought you'd like it if we listen to something. I don't really know what kind of songs you like that's why I want you to be the one who'd choose the song." He smiled warmly at her. The confused look on her face made him nervous as she might turn his offer down, but, to his surprise – she scrolled through the tracks in his phone and played the song, 'One more time, one more chance.' before quietly giving the device back to him.

They both sat there in silence, staring out of the window – at the wonderful views of the small cities they pass by. Soon enough, Makoto noticed Kirigiri's sleepy eyes, threatening to close. After a few minutes, her eyelids finally fell shut. Makoto smiled and cupped her cheek as he lay her head down on his shoulder. He was expecting that she'd protest, but she didn't. Instead, she just let herself lean on his shoulder.

 **Kirigiri**

She woke up as she felt a cold finger poking her cheek. She lifted her head and looked around her, only to see Makoto staring at her with his signature smile.

"We're here, Kirigiri-san." He spoke softly, as he massaged his neck and shoulder.

"Uh… Y-yeah." She responded absentmindedly as she covered her mouth and yawned.

"Do you want to grab some lunch first before we start looking for the ingredients of this doping potion or do you want to look for some of the materials that are quite easy to find before grabbing lunch?" Makoto asked as he lifted a small notebook with the list of the ingredients they need for the doping potion.

"I'd be fine either way." Kirigiri responded, sounding half-asleep.

Makoto let out a soft boyish chuckle. "Well then, let's grab some lunch… my treat."

"Don't be silly, I can pay for my own food and besides, you're working to support your family and your college. I don't want you to spend money on me."

Makoto looked at her, his face shows nothing but surprise – however, soon his lips slowly curved into a soft smile.

"Seiko-senpai's right…" She heard him whisper softly to himself before standing up. He offered his hand to her, but like a stubborn child, she lifted herself off her seat and stepped out of the bus.

As they got off the bus, they stopped by a small sushi shop to eat lunch. It was weird how Makoto seemed to have known the shop owner for a long time as soon as they started having a small chat after saying their orders. Makoto was friendly, too friendly and warm to be exact. Unlike her, it was easy for him to get along people. She wondered what made him like her. She was the exact opposite of him. She was cold towards others, and unlike him, she wasn't an open book – as she tends to hide her feelings under the perfect mask of stoic calmness.

"This is so delicious!" Makoto remarked happily after chowing down a plateful of sushi. Kirigiri felt the secondhand embarrassment creeping into her skin. He was too loud! Although the owner was happy because of his compliments, she couldn't help but to be concerned with the other costumers who's looking at them.

"You're too loud," She spoke in a dangerously dark reprimanding yet calm voice.

He looked at her and chuckled, "Sorry, I haven't eat something as delicious as this for quite a long time. Ojii-san's sushi's by far the best sushi that I've ever had."

The shop owner was pleased and delighted with Makoto's compliments, which made them converse even more. It was embarrassing, she thought, especially when she overheard that the shop owner thought Makoto was her boyfriend – that they were a couple. Makoto bashfully denied it, she saw his flustered face in the corner of her eye which made the shop owner laugh at him.

"I really thought that you guys are a couple, you two look perfect together."

Upon hearing those words, she choked on her meal.

Makoto immediately handed her a glass of water and gently pat her back.

She sipped the water slowly and thanked him. She was surprised however, when he pulled out his handkerchief and wiped the side of her mouth.

 _What the hell?_

"What was that for?" She spoke darkly, in a dangerously low voice, her eyes throwing daggers at him.

"S-sorry. It's just that… uhh..."Makoto struggled to come up with a word to justify the action that he had just done. _Is he really like this?_ _What the hell's wrong with him? Acting as if we are that close?_

If it were another boy who'd do that to her, she knew she'd be crept out. However, it was Makoto. Sure, she was surprise, hence the reaction that she gave him… As it just felt uncomfortably wrong, but right at the same time.

Soon enough, Makoto looked at her with an awkward smile as he finally came up with an alibi. "It's just that I'm used of wiping Komaru's face whenever something like that happens." His alibi was stupid, but nonetheless, she heard him out and accepted his apology.

"It should be somewhere here." Makoto said as he stopped dead in his track as soon as they arrived at the park's garden near the Zeniarai Benzaiten Shrine. She slowly tootled towards him and stood some few distance away from him, staring at him. He looked serious as he was staring at his small notebook and cellphone back and forth.

"Can I take a look?" Kirigiri asked politely.

Makoto nodded and handed her his notebook and gadget. While reading, she noticed that Makoto was staring at her – eyes focused on her hands.

"What is it?" She asked, as she lifted her gaze from the notebook to look at him.

He shook his head slightly. "It's nothing…"

She suspiciously lifted a brow at him as she gave her a cold stare, which startled him.

"A-ano, actually… I…"

He gulped and laughed nervously, and soon, sighed in defeat when he noticed she hasn't lift her cold gaze from him yet.

"I… I just noticed that you've always been wearing gloves. I just wonder… why?"

Sighing, she walked passed by him and padded to the shrubs. "You're one curious open book, aren't you, Naegi-kun?"

"Open book?" She heard him spoke beside her as they started looking for the herbs that the doping potion needs.

"You're easy to read. It was obvious that you were staring at my hands for a reason, yet you said, _it's nothing._ When I asked you, _what is it…_ "

She heard him sigh and chuckle. "I guess I am."

Silence began to reign as they both focused on finding the ingredients they need. The only sound that can be heard were the hushed rustling of leaves as they searched further into the garden.

"Kirigiri-san," Makoto's soft voice cut through the silence, the way he just said her last name sent shiver down her spine. It wasn't the normal Kirigiri-san she'd always hear from him. There was seriousness in his voice, and it was tangled with a certain emotion she couldn't depict. "You haven't answered my question yet."

She sighed. "I wear these gloves as a reminder of a bad decision that I've made before. That's it to it."

"… that bad decision, did that involve someone? Someone who you're close with or perhaps, used to be close with?"

She stopped and bit her lip, her chest tightened as flashbacks clouded her mind.

" _I… I… trusted you."_

" _I'm sorry."_

" _Why?"_

" _I had to."_

 _The thunder roared loudly as the rain began to fall intensely._

' _this isn't happening, this isn't happening.'_

 _Right before her eyes, she couldn't believe that the person she looked up to and risked her life for before had betrayed her._

" _All this time?"_

 _The girl looked at her, her eyes were cold, void of emotion. They were not the eyes she knew. Standing before her was a different person, a monster._

" _All this time."_

 _As the lightning flashed, a man walked up behind her friend and tapped her shoulder._

" _You've done well." He spoke, with a sarcastic devilish smile on his face. "Let's go home."_

 _The girl silently nodded and turned her back to Kirigiri as she followed the man, he was familiar, she had seen him somewhere, but she couldn't remember where._

 _Kirigiri watched them walked away, heart clenching – body feeling paralyzed as her knees gave up on her, which made her fall flop on the ground._

…

…

"Kirigiri-san? Kirigiri-san?" Makoto worriedly called out as he shook her shoulder, snapping her back to reality. She could see panic in the boy's face as he kept on asking, "are you okay?" continuously. She nodded weakly but soon, she winced, as her head started spinning. His face started to become blurred.

She heard him called her name, but he sounded so far.

She tried to open her eyes, but she couldn't.

The bad memories were devouring her, haunting her as they keep on playing on loop inside of her head.

 _Naegi-kun… save me._


	11. Chapter 11

Once upon a time, Kyouko Kirigiri lived a happy life.

Even if some people would find her, interest peculiar. She was greatly blessed as she came from a family filled with love. As a child, she always admired her mother's strength, intelligence and beauty. She could still remember how her mother would always be there for her to talk to, whenever her dad or her grandfather is too busy with work.

' _Mom, look!'_

The 7-year old Kyouko excitedly burst into their living room and hugged her mom. As she pulled slightly away, she smiled as she looked up at her mother, showing her test papers – another set of straight A's.

She remembered how her mother happily and warmly smiled at her as she gently pat her head and told her that she was proud of her. Every word that her mother utter were precious to her. They always motivate her to do well, and to be the best that she could be. Kyouko wanted to be like her, because in her eyes, her mother was her hero.

"Otanjoubi Omedetou, Kyouko-chan!"

Her parents, along with her grandfather greeted enthusiastically as soon as she woke up in bed.

"Would you mind lifting your arm to me, Kyouko-chan?" Her mother asked warmly, she was sitting on the side of her bed, with a small black box sitting on her lap.

Kyouko nodded, she lifted her arm and offered her wrist to her mother. Her mother smiled and opened the box, revealing a handmade blue bracelet with her initials written on it.

"It's beautiful." The young Kyouko said in awe as she stared at the bracelet that her mother just gave her.

"I'm glad you liked it, Kyouko-chan,"

"Of course I do! I'll treasure this!" Kyouko wrapped her hand around her wrist with the bracelet and held it against her chest. "Thank you, Oka-san."

As her mother smiled warmly, she then leaned forward and gave her mother a hug, one that she would never forget.

Not because of the surprise birthday greeting that she had received that day, or because it came along with a gift.

But because it would be their last.

The next morning, she remembered, her mother was rushed into the hospital while she was asleep.

"Your mother will be alright." Her father, Jin Kirigiri, said with a sad lopsided smile, as they sat on the hospital bench near the emergency room.

She believed him, she believed her mother would be alright.

But…

Every thing was lie.

She could still remembered her father's despair painted face, when she visited the hospital a day after. The memory was still vivid in her mind, how the freshly picked lilies that she had brought for her fell down on the cold hospital floors as tears fell rapidly down her face. How her father desperately asked her mother to wake up as he held her lifeless hand.

Her mother's dead and along with her death was the death of a part of her as well.

Although she had become close with her father since her mother's passing, it left a huge void in her heart, a void that was tearing her apart until she met a girl named Yui when she visited her mother's grave, one snowy and frigid December night.

* * *

Kirigiri groaned softly as she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked for a few times, for her eyes to adjust to the room's lighting. She found herself lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room.

"Where am I? How did I get here?" She thought to herself as she slowly sit up in bed. Her question was answered when she saw Makoto sitting beside her bed. He was peacefully taking a nap, his were arms folded upon the edge of the bed and his head rested upon his arms.

She wanted to wake him up to query where they are, but he looked so peaceful in his slumber that she opted not to disturb his sleep.

However, as she tried to slip out of the bed, the slight movement that she made woke him up.

"Kirigiri-san?" He yawned sleepily as he rubbed his right eye. "How are you feeling?"

There was worry in his sleepy, hoarse voice. He was genuinely concerned that she might feel sick or woozy or something, as she suddenly passed out while they were finding the ingredients that they need for the doping potion. As Kirigiri assured him that she felt just fine, she asked her where they are and with a slight blush on his face, he explained that they're in a cheap inn near the park. He told her that the hospital was far from where they were, and as panic took over him, he just decided to rent a room for a night in the inn - that he happened saw while they were on their way to the park a while ago.

"I was worried," He sighed heavily. "I checked your temperature and you didn't have any fever. I didn't really know what to do, that's why I consulted Komaru and my aunt, Chisa what I should do. They told me to let you rest, which I did… and…"

"Hey, Naegi-kun," Kirigiri spoke softly, cutting him off. She looked at him and smiled. "Thank you."

Flushing, he returned her smile and said, "It's nothing."

"It is, you've spent money for this room and took care of me while I was unconscious. You have my gratitude, Naegi-kun and I intend to repay you somehow, one day." Her voice was calm, in contrast with the wild beating of her heart. She was quite surprised with the words that passed through her lips. It wasn't like her at all to blurt out something that she has in mind, she finds it weird, how she feels so comfortable around him – how even if he's a guy, she wouldn't mind being left alone in a room with him. She felt safe with him, as she knew he wouldn't hurt her or take advantage of her. He was kind - too kind that meeting someone like him in this world, let alone having to believe that someone like him exist, still feels surreal.

* * *

"I'll be back in a few minutes." Makoto said as he stood up from his seat and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

Makoto stopped dead in his tracks and peered over his shoulder. "I'm going to go out for a while, to get us something to eat." He responded, smiling.

"You've already spent a lot today because of me, aren't you saving money to help your mom?" Kirigiri sighed and grabbed her purse from the floor. She pulled out a thousand yen and slid off the bed, and walked over to him to give him the bill.

Makoto shook his head with a lopsided warm smile, refusing her money.

As he was about to step out of the room, Kirigiri grabbed his arm above his elbow and pulled him back into the room.

"Don't be ridiculous, you're working part time after school just to earn money," Kirigiri lifted her gaze to look at him in the eyes. "I don't want you to spend money for me. Now take it."

Makoto sighed heavily and grabbed her hand, she thought she'd finally convinced him to take the money but to her surprise, Makoto gently closed her hand around the money and squeezed her hand. "I can't. I told and promised myself that I'd take care of you because I somehow feel responsible for what happened earlier."

"… How?" She questioned, as she took her gaze off his face and focused them on the wooden floors.

Kirigiri felt Makoto's hand on top of her head as he spoke, "I'll tell you, once I get back, okay?"

 _What happened a while ago? I… He…_

Kyouko bit her lower lip hard as she slowly drifted off in her thoughts; she mindlessly gave him a nod and walked back to the bed as Makoto stepped out of the room.

She sat down on the edge of the bed as she thought deeply of what happened a while ago. She remembered Makoto asking a question, a question that caused memories and haunting images of her past appearing and alternating in rhythmic spasms right before her eyes.

Remembering it once more made her feel as though her heart is being ripped into pieces. Her chest feels heavy and tight, making it a struggle for her to breathe. Flooded thoughts drowned her mind, and in her heart, mixed emotions intertwined. She looked at her gloved hand, and clenched her fist as she winced and grimaced upon hearing herself whisper, _"Yui nee-san."_

A few minutes passed and Makoto came back with a paper bag in his hand, containing the food that he bought for the two of them. He set the paper bag on the small round table at the center of the room and fixed the cushions around it.

"Kirigiri-san, I forgot to ask what you liked to eat so… I bought their best-selling meal for you." He chirped lively as he pulled the take outs out of the bag and set them on the table.

"Thank you." Kirigiri said softly as she sat crossed legged on the cushion.

Makoto just gave her a smile before he dug into his meal.

The two ate their dinner in silence. Although, Makoto wanted to have a light conversation with her while they were eating, he chose to keep his words to himself for a while as he felt that something was bothering her.

He wondered she remembered what happened a while ago, what he asked, and if that question had triggered her blackout.

"Hey, Naegi-kun." Kirigiri's voice pierced through the night's silence. Makoto lifted his gaze from his half-empty take out box, to Kirigiri's face. He knew she was trying to put on another expressionless mask to hide something, but he could clearly see right through her as her eyes reflected a mix of regret, sadness and anger.

"What is it?"

"A while ago, what was the question that you've asked me?" Kirigiri knew the answer but she wanted to hear him say it once again.

Makoto slightly flinched from the coldness of Kyouko's voice. "About that, I… I feel like I'm responsible for this mess because of asking you that question, I feel like I've asked something that I shouldn't have… and—"

"Just answer my question." Kirigiri spoke, her voice monotone and firm.

Makoto contemplated for a while and sighed, "I asked you why you were wearing gloves all the time, then you answered my question by saying that you wear those gloves as a reminder of a bad decision that you've made before… Then after that I asked," Makoto paused and took a deep breath before he continued. "…that bad decision, did that involve someone? Someone who you're close to or perhaps, used to be close with?"

Hearing that question made her think of her again. She thought she had gotten over it but who was she kidding? Every memory's vivid inside her mind, her mother's death, her father's death and her _best friend's betrayal._ It was her, who made her like this – it was her who made her miserable. She couldn't wrap her head around what she did. She tried to searching for plausible answers but came out with nothing.

"Kirigiri-san," Makoto's voice snapped her back to reality. He was now sitting next to her, his hand holding her tightly clenched gloved fist. "I'm right, aren't I? My question had something to do with your blackout?"

Kirigiri nodded silently. She felt Makoto's hand squeezed her's lightly as he sighed and whispered, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you that, I'm sorry." He was truly genuine. She could the feel his sincerity in words. It made her want to trust him; it made her want to open up to him. . . But the story's heavy and she feel as though that she shouldn't burden him with such a depressing story.

"I don't really know what happened, but I feel like… whatever it is that has happened to you was truly painful…"

" _It is."_ She spoke softly, voice almost inaudible.

"I'm sorry for asking that question again, I shouldn't have."

"How many times are you going to say sorry?"

Makoto let out a soft boyish chuckle as he closed his eyes and slightly shook his head, smiling. "I don't know."

Then silence, silence followed as they stayed in that position; sitting right next to each other, his hand comfortingly lying on top of hers. She felt comfortable by his side, too comfortable that it was scaring her even though it feels so right.

"Naegi-kun…" Her soft voice shattered the comforting silence enveloping them. She scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm a despicable girl, aren't I?"

"Where is this coming from?" He asked. Makoto looked at her worriedly as he slightly tightened her hold around her hand.

"Yesterday, I said a lot of mean things to you when you were just concerned for me. I always do that, not only to you but also, to others who wanted to know me," She explained. "You're right about me though, wanting everyone to know me, to be friends with everyone but is too scared – afraid that people might find me too complex to understand."

Saying those words almost felt like a confession of her sins. She could feel the embarrassment crawling into every inch of her skin, but at the same time, saying all of those words were heart lightening as well.

She hesitated to continue and bit her lip. Seeing her like that, Makoto comfortingly brushed his thumb against her gloved hand, urging her to go on – telling her that it's okay and he'll listen.

"I want to make friends, to surround myself with people who I can trust again but… it's hard… because…" Kirigiri bit her lower lip, as she tried to fight her tears back but ends up miserably failing as tears started to fall from her eyes. "I don't want to be emotionally vulnerable again. To be betrayed by someone you trust so much and you believed in, is really really painful."

"K-Kirigiri-san." Makoto's voice was soft as he opened her clenched hand and entwined his fingers through hers. He gave it a light squeeze hoping that it would give her a bit of comfort to lessen the hurt that she's feeling. Her words felt heavy – they were sad and powerful, and it was crushing his heart inside. He wanted to tell her to stop but, he thought that maybe, releasing all of this emotions that she had kept for years would be for the best. That's why he opted to listen to every word she speaks.

"When I met you, I knew you were different from everyone else…" She started voice trembling lightly. "Everyone in that room, felt like they had to keep their distance from me because of the walls that I've built around myself, because of the mood that I had set into the atmosphere the moment I walked inside that room. But despite that, you… you were the only one who talked to me, and didn't talked to me behind my back…"

Makoto smiled softly. "When I saw you, I remembered thinking to myself how cool and mysterious you were. You did give me that peculiar vibe, which I found interesting but… then, I saw something that I couldn't ignore that even made me feel like I need to know you."

"Hm?"

"Your eyes," He paused and sighed. "Your eyes reflects sadness."

Kirigiri smiled softly as she closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. "You're pretty observant aren't you?"

"Pretty much, just not as good as you are though."

Kirigiri lifted head and looked at him, smiling. He felt his heart beat twice as hard, not only because of how beautiful Kirigiri looked like when she smiled but also because of their proximity.

He was tempted to close the gap between their lips at that moment, but tried his best to control himself by mustering every inch of his willpower to stop himself from doing so. It was a relief when Kirigiri laid her head back on his shoulder and talked once again.

"Hey, Naegi-kun."

"hm?"

"I'm really glad to have met you, to know you and to be comfortable with you like this…" She whispered. "Something's telling me to put my trust in you that's why… we're having this conversation..."

She took a deep breath and continued.

"But, even if that's what I feel, I couldn't brush off this feeling of being scared to be closer to you. To be comfortable with someone like this, in a short amount of time is scary. I'm afraid that you'll betray me soon, or worse, I'd betray someone because of you. I'll never forgive you or myself if that happens. And I know will break me apart again."

"I'd never betray you or hurt you. I'd never do that, I never will."

The genuineness of Makoto's words, made her heart flutter. She closed her eyes and smiled as she buried her face in his shoulder. She had never felt this way before; being with someone like him is foreign to her – to finally have someone to talk to about the burdens that she had carried for so long, to finally be slightly open to someone about her thoughts and her feelings. This was all new to her, being with him is like a safe haven where she could finally rest and settle her wings.

"Naegi-kun." She whispered against his shirt before pulling slightly away from him.

"Hmm?"

"I told you… I'd never forgive myself if I've betrayed someone, right?"

Makoto nodded. "You did."

"If I'd ask you, what would be worse? To betray someone or to betray yourself for not being true to your feelings?"

"To betray yourself for not being true to your feelings," He spoke casually with a soft smile. "Life only comes around once, that's why it's better if you'd be true to yourself and do whatever it is that makes you happy, Kirigiri-san."

With a soft smile on her lips, she closed her eyes as his words struck her. She's sure that she's going to regret what she's going to do tomorrow, but... she needed this, she needs to set herself free, to finally be true to herself in front of him… just this night.

She called his name and leaned in as he looked at her.

They felt their heart stop as they looked at each other, blush creeping into their cheeks. They were close – too close, that they could feel each other's warm breath linger against each other's lips.

She looked at him with hazy eyes, as she closed the lingering space between them.

Closer, until the warmth that radiated off her skin fitted right against his.

For the first time in their life, they finally had the lips of the one they love against their own.

* * *

 **A/N : Hey guys, sorry if it took me a while before I could update another chapter, life got in the way. I'm sorry if there are grammatical errors as well. Let me know what you think of the chapter through comments, it will be extremely appreciated. Anyway, I love you guys, stay awesome and Naegiri is canon!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N : We didn't have class today so I've decided to write a short chapter.**

* * *

Caught in surprise, Makoto was hesitant to kiss her back.

But soon enough, the emotions that had welled up inside his heart overflowed. The softness of Kyouko's lips against his made him lose himself deeply.

He reacted on instinct, his freehand made it's way to the back of Kyouko's head, tangling his fingers through her hair as he pulled her closer to him. Kyouko brought her gloved hand up and cupped Makoto's cheek as she felt yhis warm lips deepen the kiss.

They closed their eyes as they memorized each other's lips.

Their lips moved in perfect sync, and both of their hearts are swelling as indescribable feelings overflowed. They held onto each other tighter as if letting go would poison them both. Neither of them wanted to break the kiss, as neither of them wanted the sensation and the feeling to end.

For minutes they stayed like this, keeping their kiss firm yet gentle and chaste until Kyouko slowly leaned away. She grabbed Makoto's shirt near his chest as she leaned in and put her head in the crook of his neck and shoulder.

Both of them could feel their chest heave for breath out of the kiss, the swelling of their lips and the warmth that had lingered in their system.

"Makoto…" She breathed, her voice soft and barely audible against his skin. Makoto smiled and flushed upon hearing her call his first name for the first time.

"Kyouko…" He spoke softly. He felt her lips smile against his skin and with his mind clouded with the thoughts of finally having a space in Kyouko's life, and his love being returned by the girl he couldn't stop thinking of. He felt his heartbeat pick up once again.

Grabbing her shoulders, he gently pushed her slightly away from him and looked at her in the eyes.

Kyouko smiled, tears welling up in her eyes. She wasn't sure if they were tears of guilt or happiness. All that she knew is how strong her feelings are towards him. She took his hand and brought it up to let him cup her cheeks. They stayed locked in defenseless gazes for a short while before Makoto leaned in to press his lips against Kyouko's sweetly.

This time, neither of them were hesitant, making the kiss crisp and exact –almost perfect.

They broke the kiss slowly and smiled at each other, before moving from the floor to the bed to go to sleep.

Being the gentleman that he is, Makoto grabbed two of the four pillows and put them in the center of the bed. His action caused Kyouko to let out a genuine laugh, _"Is he for real?"_

"What?" He asked, smiling gently, amused of her laughter. Seeing her happy and free, makes his heart warm.

"You don't have to do that, it's okay." Kyouko said as she laid her hand on top of Makoto's who's resting on the pillow that he had just put in the center.

"But-"

"It's okay. We should sleep together."

Makoto flushed furiously and seeing him red as a tomato, she realized that she had insinuated something else. Blushing ferociously herself, she quickly explained herself again. "What I mean is that we should sleep beside each other. I know that you're not the kind of guy who'd take advantage of a woman while sleeping and… besides," Kyouko brought her right gloved hand to her lips and traced her lips lightly with her fingers as she teasingly smiled at him. "We already kissed."

"Kirigiri-san!" He bashfully looked away and pursed his lips, the red tint in his cheeks intensified. In the corner of his eye, she saw her laughing silently, gloved hand covering her mouth. He smiled to himself, loving the fact that he could make her smile.

"Makoto," she called out as she took the pillow off the center of the bed and lay them against the headboard. "You can call me by my first name when were alone."

He turned to her and nodded, "Okay, Kyouko." His response had some playfulness to it. Embracing and not fearing the feeling of comfort he gives made her feel lighter as if the boulder that had been crushing her chest has finally been lifted.

Kyouko smiled at him, and gestured him to lay down next to her. He did as he was told, and faced her upon lying in his back.

"Goodnight," Kyouko whispered. She planted a soft kiss on his forehead and turned her back to him.

"Are you not going to take your gloves off?" He asked curiously, upon noticing that she didn't take her gloves off.

When Kyouko didn't respond, Makoto lifted himself a bit off the bed to peer down into Kyouko's face. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was gentle and slow. She was asleep, what happened today must have been emotionally exhausting for her, he thought.

Makoto silently pondered upon the conversation that they had a while ago, he was glad that Kyouko opened up to him, but he remembered trying to contain the anger that he felt upon knowing that someone had caused Kyouko so much hurt. The way her voice quiver despite of trying to maintain the stoic expression on her face, and the way her eyes reflected suffering, pain, sorrow and so many things was unbearable.

Subconsciously, with those thoughts in mind, he closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her waist. His hand reached for her gloved ones as he spoke softly against her shoulder, "I wish I've known you sooner," he started; he knew she wouldn't hear it. But, he wanted to say all of the things he had in mind. "I was thinking, maybe, if we've known each other long ago, you wouldn't be in so much pain, you wouldn't be hurting. Maybe, I'd be there to protect you and to make you smile. You didn't deserve all of the horrible things that you've been through. I don't know what they are exactly, but I could feel how terrible it was by the way you talk about it." He smiled. "… But I don't regret meeting you like this, I'm glad to have been able to meet someone who's simple, wonderful and strong. I wouldn't think twice to treat you the way you deserve. You deserve nothing but happiness, and that's what I intend to give you."

Makoto fell into a peaceful silence as his eyes became heavy, threatening to close.

"Kyouko, I love you." Upon saying those words genuinely in a soft voice, he felt a warm feeling of content in his heart. He smiled and soon, he slowly let his eyes fall as sleepiness completely took over him.

"Idiot." She whispered in a barely audible voice, as her tears fell into her pillow. She was awake the whole time, she heard everything and his words moved her, triggering such emotions that she had never imagined to feel.

She felt his fingers slowly rest and fall against her own, entwined together.

Makoto has already fallen asleep.

His breathing was delicate against her and the tranquil silence allowed her to hear his gentle heartbeat, humming quietly to her.

Eventually, the sound of his heart and their breathing was slowly lulling her to sleep.

As her eyelids felt heavier with each passing second, a small smile broke out on her face as she whispered.

"I love you too."

Before finally drifting off to sleep.

* * *

"Komaru-chan?"

The familiar voice woke the brunette up from her sleep. She fluttered her eyes open and gave that person a broad sleepy smile.

"Ohayou, Sayaka nee-san," She greeted, "What are you doing he—" And yawned. "here?"

"Sorry for dropping by unannounced early in the morning," She said, smiling as she sat down on the edge of Komaru's bed. "I was just wondering if maybe, you, Makoto and Chisa nee-san could join me this afternoon."

Komaru ruffled her hair and flashed a small, sorry smile as she said.

"I'm not really sure if Nii-san could come."

"Is he not in his room? I don't want to barge in, he's probably asleep and—"

Komaru's eyes widened, shock and confusion clearly painting her face.

"Didn't he tell you he's in Kamakura?"

Eyes furrowed, Sayaka shook her head.

"What for?"

"Oh, he's with his biology partner, they're going to get the ingredients that they need for their project which can only be found there," Komaru explained. "It was supposed to be a day trip, but unfortunately, his partner fainted while they were gathering those ingredients, so they had to stay overnight at a cheap inn."

"I-I see."

"Is there something wrong?" Komaru asked concernedly upon seeing Sayaka's hands tremble.

The blue haired girl shook her head and forced a smile.

"Nothing, it's nothing. Uhm… ano… Komaru-chan, I brought your favorite cheesecake by the way, I put it inside the fridge and… Chisa nee-san went out for a while; she said she had to the local grocery store to buy some groceries for you two…" She trailed off as she tried to compose herself. Her chest feels tight, and she knows exactly why.

"Thank you, Sayaka nee~" Komaru chirped happily as she flung herself onto the blue haired girl. Sayaka subconsciously hugged her tightly, she shouldn't be feeling this way. However, she couldn't help it, knowing that the one she loves is with the person he's falling in love with.

* * *

 **A/N : I hope you guys are enjoying this fic so far. Anyway, love you guys! :D**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N : Italics are flashbacks.**

 **Hey guys, here's another chapter! :D I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

Kyouko shifted in the bed, with a small delicate smile on her lips upon feeling the weight of Makoto's arm around her waist.

She opened her eyes slowly and saw his sleeping face inches from hers. She studied him closely, running her fingers lightly over his face, causing the boy to groan as his face twitched into a frown in his sleep.

Amused of his reaction, she let out a gentle chuckle and placed her hand softly on his cheek. Kyouko loved how this morning is different. This morning, she woke up with the one she loves holding her. This morning, she would be able to greet him with a morning kiss, this morning she would be able to look deeply into his eyes without averting her gaze, this morning she would be able to be true to herself with him by her side.

She knew that this was a bad idea, that this would be a huge mess once they return to Tokyo, but in their own little secluded slice of the world, she couldn't bring herself to think about anything and worry for the worse, because she wanted to savor every moment she could share with him.

Kyouko took the time to watch each breath Makoto takes as he sleeps, his lips were slightly parted and his lashes flutter minutely as he dreams.

Kyouko realized that she had lost track of time, and was not quite sure of how long has she been admiring and musing about him, when he suddenly opened his eyes. She flushed when her own lilac irises meet Makoto's forest green.

"Good morning, Makoto." She spoke softly with a smile on her face.

"Hey," Makoto greeted, his voice gentle and hoarse, and his cheeks slowly taking on a light tone of red. "Good morning, Kyouko."

Makoto paused for a while and looked at her in the eyes, before leaning in to plant a kiss on Kyouko's forehead, wanting to confirm and to assure himself that last night wasn't a dream.

Kyouko closed her eyes upon feeling his warm lips on her forehead, his warmth is seeping onto her once again, filling up the cold void in her heart with happiness.

Pulling away, Makoto grabbed her gloved hand and entwined his fingers through hers. They lie beside each other in thoughtful silence, allowing themselves to indulge with the strong emotions that they're feeling for one another. To say that they're satisfied is an understatement, as they feel such delight that no words could ever describe in this uncharted territory.

"Our time-limited stay in this inn is almost up, we should get out of bed," Makoto said as he turned his head to look at her.

Kyouko sighed in disappointment, as she wanted to stay with him like this for a few more minutes. "Just a few more minutes…" She whispered as she closed her eyes.

"Oi, oi, don't fall asleep now—"

"I'm not," she spoke calmly cutting him off, her brows furrowed. "I just want to stay with you like this a little longer."

Makoto smiled and jokingly let out a sigh of defeat as he squeezed Kyouko's hand gently. "Alright. Just for a few minutes, okay?"

Kyouko nodded silently before shifting to her side to look at him, and with a genuine smile on her face, she whispered, "Thank you, Makoto."

"Makoto?"

"Hm?" Makoto peered over his shoulder to look at her while locking the door. They were already outside the room, standing beside each other in the inn's quiet hallway.

"Do we have all of the ingredients for the potion?" Kyouko asked.

He opened his bag pack and pulled out a plastic full with all of the ingredients that they need before giving her his signature smile.

Kyouko sighed in relief, but at the same time, she feels somewhat guilty for being a burden and not helping him as much.

"Let's go?" Makoto said, as he put the plastic back inside the bag and put the inn key inside his pocket.

Kyouko nodded and walked ahead of him without saying a word, leaving him slightly mystified with the sudden change of her behavior.

Noticing that the girl was in a deep thought, Makoto linked his arm with hers as he caught up to her. Kyouko shot him a surprised and confused gaze as she asked, "What are you doing?" She snapped out of her trance and felt her insides tingle again as their skin touched.

"Did I do something or say something wrong? You seem bothered." He asked, concernedly.

"I just feel like… I wasn't much of a help and other than that, I even burdened you because of what happened yesterday," Kyouko replied. "Come to think of it, I was the one who asked for this so that we'd be productive but I didn't do anything."

With his eyes trained on her while they were walking, he was quite amused on how Kyouko responded to him, with her voice sounding troubled but has kept her face expressionless.

"Hey, don't think like that, it's okay," Makoto said as his smile widened, his voice soothing to her ears. "I can say that we've been productive though. If you hadn't suggested this trip, none of this would have happened…" His thoughts lingered with what happened last night, and his smile softened as he reached for her gloved hand.

"Makoto," She looked at him sharply. "You're too clingy and flirty."

He immediately withdrew his hold of her, and flushed furiously as he kept his distance.

"I-I'm sorry!" He stammered, embarrassment creeping into his skin.

However, when Kyouko chuckled, his heart fluttered.

"But… You're the only guy who I've met who has a lot of good points. That's why it's so easy to lo—" Upon realizing that she almost slipped on saying the word, _love_ , she cleared her throat. "—like you."

The effects of letting the warmth seep through the cold walls she built around herself, and letting herself free by embracing the emotions she felt for him made her feel something that she hadn't felt for a long time.

It was like the sun's first kiss on her skin after the long winter days.

Everything suddenly became beautiful to her.

She mused deeply, and smiled to herself.

 _Is this what being in love really feels like?_

* * *

It was past noon, when the bus arrived in Tokyo. Upon stepping out of the bus, Kyouko's thoughts were clouded by fear and guilt, knowing that tomorrow – she will see _her_ in class.

 _You betrayed someone who trusts you with her secret, a person who treated you as her friend. You're just like them._ A dark cruel voice sneered inside her head. She brought her hand up rubbed her eyes, wiping the tears that could fall from them.

"You okay?" She heard him ask.

She nodded. "Something just flew into my eyes. Nothing to be worried about."

"Can I see it?"

She shook her head silently. "It's alright. I'm fine." She picked her pace up as they walked down the sidewalk, leaving him trailing after her.

"Kyouko, wait," He called out as he ran after her. "You're not mad at me for sleeping on your shoulder, are you?"

"I'm not."

"Then, what's with the attitude?" He asked sternly, his smile fading as he followed her.

"We can't be seen as close as we were in Kamakura, Makoto." Her voice was weak but audible enough for him to hear.

He didn't ask why, she knew her reason.

"It's Sayaka, isn't it?"

She nodded without saying a word.

He looked at her and sighed. "Kyouko, is it okay if I escort you home and talk about it there?"

Kyouko looked at him briefly and sighed, "Okay." She knew that this is selfish of her to have Makoto for herself for almost two days. Never in a long time did she want something so much like this again, never in a long time did she feel as if she needed something that she hadn't needed.

* * *

After almost 15 minutes of walking, they finally arrived in front of Kyouko's house. Makoto was in awe, seeing how huge her house is. It was a two-story house with a front yard landscaped with grass and different flowers. There was also a huge balcony on the second floor, directly above the porch entrance.

"Kyouko, uhm," Makoto paused and followed Kyouko as she entered the gate. Slightly hesitating to ask the question inside his head, afraid that his tongue might slip and might say that he had talked to Seiko about her.

"What is it?" Kyouko asked as she unlocked the door, peering slightly over her shoulder to look at him.

"You live alone, correct?"

"I am. It has been a while since I had visitors as well," She said calmly. "I hope you wouldn't mind if it's kind of untidy inside."

"Ah, not at all." He responded.

Even though looked perfect and beautiful on the outside, it felt cold, barren and empty inside. Even though all of the furniture were in good shape, the house's walls seems to scream nothing but loneliness.

She ushered him into the living room and asked him to feel at home before going to the kitchen to prepare her favorite tea and some snacks. While waiting, a black dusty planner under the coffee table caught his eye. Out of curiosity, he took the planner and started scanning it's pages. It belonged to a man, named Jin Kirigiri, which he assumed is Kyouko's late father.

The entries seemed to be like a letter for Kyouko's mother, telling her how wonderful Kyouko had become and how intelligent she was. The entries also mentioned a girl named Yui, who acted like a big sister to Kyouko, and how Kyouko missed her mother so much after she passed away. Kyouko's father also noted that he had been spending more time with Kyouko since her mother's passing.

Makoto flipped another page and started reading the next entry. As he read half of it's content, his eyes widened as Jin Kirigiri, claimed that he been chosen to be the next headmaster of the university that they've been attending.

"W-what?"

He closed the planner and put back under the table. The last entry left him with so many questions. For sure, Kyouko knows this… but he wondered, is this the reason why she enrolled in that school? What's her objective if so?

Kyouko came back to the living room after a few minutes, carrying a tray of tea and biscuits. Makoto looked at her intently as she sat beside him and put the tray down on the coffee table.

"What's wrong?" Kyouko asked as she poured tea into the two small china cups.

"The planner," Makoto turned his head and looked at the planner underneath the table before turning his gaze back to her. "I read some of the entries and…"

Kyouko sighed. "I guess… we have a lot of things to talk about, Makoto."

"Let's start off with the reason as to why I am here in the first place…" He said carefully, knowing that asking about the things in the planner might be a sensitive topic to Kyouko.

"Maizono-san," Kyouko whispered her name, feeling a certain pang of guilt stabbing her chest. "Makoto, I feel guilty for what I've done last night, what we've done. I feel like, I am going to cause a rift in your friendship, a friendship that you two hold dearly."

Makoto urged her to go on as he gave her a small nod, telling her that he's listening.

Kyouko started to explain herself, trying to express all the thoughts running inside her head. She told him, she feels guilty for feeling as though she had betrayed someone who she considers as her friend. She hated the feeling of betrayal, as it opens a wound that has never mend. She told him how she feels bad for feeling as though she stole the guy her friend likes. She told him how she feels bad for making a move to satisfy her heart despite of knowing the fact that someone will be hurt.

She bit her lip hard as tears well up in her eyes, feeling the emotional scars that never healed stung with an immense feeling of shame.

"I-I regret everything that had happened last night…" She whispered, her voice breaking his heart.

"Wh—"

"But I'd regret it even more if I never told you what I feel for you." She looked at him in the eyes and flashed a small smile as tears fell from her eyes.

Relief flooded his vein upon hearing Kyouko say those words. He hugged her tight on instinct, he was afraid that she might say something close to forgetting what happened last night or worse, forgetting each other after the semester ends, after all of the things that she had said about how she actually feels because of Maizono.

"Hey, Kyouko." He whispered softly against her hair. "No matter what happens, remember it's you who I am in love with."

* * *

Sayaka was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, thoughts drifting to Makoto.

She remembered the way she looked at Kirigiri, whenever they're talking. The way his eyes glimmer and the wide genuine smile on his face that she hadn't seen him flashed for a long time, after his father's passing.

She knew him very well like the back of her hand, she knew how his eyes sparkle whenever he sees someone he admires, the way he acts and smiles whenever he's around the person he likes.

For years, she convinced herself that Makoto's just like a brother to him, a brother he loves dearly. . . but as time passes by, she couldn't fool herself and her heart anymore.

She loved him.

She always loved him.

The reason why she worked in their café was because of him, and not just because of the reasons that she had told him.

 _Why can't you see me?_ Were the words she had in mind as she closed her eyes.

" _You're tired, aren't you?" Sayaka heard him asked the lilac-haired girl, who's resting her back against the café's cushion._

" _A bit." She heard the girl responded coldly, as she covered her mouth and yawned._

" _You're cute when you're like this." She heard him say, the smile evident in his soft voice. 'You like her, don't you, Makkun?' she thought to herself as she poured the coffee into the coffee mugs, her hand slightly trembling._

 _Why do you like her, Makoto? She bit her lip and looked at them from the counter, she couldn't hear them anymore nor read their lips. But she can tell how happy he was with her._

" _You two seem close," She told him as they walked beside each other along the sidewalk. "Kyouko Kirigiri, was it? She sits right next to you in your biology class, doesn't she?"_

 _Makoto nodded. "She's my project partner too." He proudly said. His bright smile and his eyes' glimmer were evident._

" _What is she like?"_

" _She's cold, stoic and she often hides her feelings to others. She's usually calm and composed. And it seems to me that she doesn't really care about anything that isn't important to her.. But I can say, that she's a good person and I really want to know her even more."_

 _Sayaka stopped dead in his tracks and looked at him as he continued to muse out loud. "She's also smart, she's always the first one who finish in all of the seatworks given in class even though she doesn't recite."_

' _He's really into her…' She thought to herself as she trailed behind him, watching the wide smile on his face as she thought of_ _ **her.**_

" _What do you think about Makoto-kun?"_

" _What's with the sudden question?" Kyouko asked as she cupped her face and looked at their professor._

" _Just wondering if he's causing you trouble, that's all." She chuckled and stared at her and propped her elbow against her desk before cupping her face._

" _Makoto Naegi," She closed her eyes and sighed. "He's optimistic, he's too kind and slightly naïve. He has already made a lot of friends in our class, he's easy going as well. He doesn't do well in seatworks, but he actively participates in class by reciting." Sayaka was slightly taken a back when she saw a small smile broke across Kyouko's lips. "His attitude and his personality makes it easier for me to trust him…"_

 _Sayaka smiled, "I see."_

' _And it seems to me that she doesn't really care about anything that isn't important to her...' She remembered Makoto say, she winced before turning her gaze back to Kyouko, who's now silently listening to the professor._

' _Kirigiri-san, is Makoto-kun important to you?'_

* * *

 **A/N :** Hey guys, I hope you guys liked the chapter, sorry if there are grammatical errors and such. It was already 1:22 when I finished this and I had a pretty eventful and stressful day.

With that said, Love you guys! Thank you for all the feedbacks and follows, and favorites. It really warmed my heart. I love you all!


	14. Chapter 14 : Her past

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the late upload, I have been busy with school these past few days. I got tons of paper works and projects to accomplish.

advance sorry to all the grammatical errors that I might have in this chapter, please point it out right away too if you see one so that I could change it for better reading experience for you guys.

Anyway, :D I hope you guys like this. 3

* * *

"No matter what happens, remember it's you who I am in love with."

Makoto whispered softly against her hair, making shivers run down her spine. Kyouko slowly closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him as well, savoring their embrace in silence, letting his warmth ease the feeling of uncertainty and emptiness.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Makoto pulled gently away and smiled softly at her, which she returned meekly.

"Nee, Makoto," She spoke softly as she looked directly into his eyes. "Why… Why do you love me?"

Her question caught him off guard. For a while, he looked at her in silence and for some reason, Kyouko felt anxious as she waited for his reply. It was weird how her heart eagerly wanted to hear his reasons. She could feel it… his love… But she wanted assurance, to pacify the terrible feeling of doubt that's clouding up her mind. She wondered if it was her looks that captivated him; she wondered if he'd still feel the same if she'll show her hands to him. She found herself asking questions after questions, as immense feeling of insecurity began to creep over her.

The soft expression on his face and the warmth of his palm against her cheek broke her trance. Caressing her cheek with the pad of his thumb, he spoke softly, 'I love you because… I just do. As weird that might sound like but that's the truth."

"I once read a book that said, ' _One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.'_ And I guess that's true," He continued. "The moment I saw you, I wanted to know you, I wanted to know what caused the sadness in your eyes. I had this strong feeling of wanting to take all of the things that hurt you away. I wanted nothing but for you to be happy, to see the smile on your face and to let you feel the love that you deserve."

Her eyes were glued on his, searching for his honesty in truth – which she could clearly see in his forest green eyes.

A soft smile lit her face as the words he said last night resonated inside her mind. The words that he had spoken just now contains the same emotion of his words last night.

But…

She wanted to know something… She wanted to know if his love would still stay the same after seeing how ' _broken and imperfect'_ she is.

Without saying a word, she took his hands off her face and slowly removed her gloves. She closed her eyes in shame, not wanting to see his reaction. ' _He's probably grossed out right now.'_ she thought and it scares her.

She feels so raw and vulnerable for the first time in years. The feeling of shame and embarrassment is surging through her as the words, _"He's probably looking at you with disgust in his face."_ keeps on playing inside of her head.

"Kyouko," He spoke softly as his he held her scarred hand and traced his finger across her skin, making her wince in the contact. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Makoto staring at her hands; his jaw clenched, and his eyes reflected something that was very unimaginable to see from him… anger.

"Disgusting, isn't it?"

"Stop calling yourself disgusting!"

Kyouko's eyes widened in shock, he had never seen him so angry like this.

As silence washed over the room, he remembered that her gloved hands was a reminder of a bad decision, and it involved someone who she was once close with before. The thought of that person doing this to her is making his blood run hot inside his body. He had never felt so angry in his entire life. His has mind never been clouded with a bundle of bad thoughts—the desire to kill who ever had hurt her like this.

' _Kyouko's suffering for years because of this person's doing._ '

"I want to know what happened. I want to know if that person who you're close with once… was the one did this to you." He spoke firmly, his voice was calm but dead serious.

"Makoto…"

She cupped his face gently, caressing it in attempt to calm him down. No one has ever cared for her so much for a long time and seeing him like this made her feel stupid for testing him in the first place. She knew she shouldn't have, even if her mind is plagued with doubts— as deep inside, her heart knows that Makoto Naegi is truly sincere.

"Calm down."

He looked away, his jaws still clenched and hands curled into tight fists.

Now knowing what lies beneath her gloves, he couldn't help but to imagine how painful everything must've been for her. To lose the people you love, to be betrayed by someone you trust most, and to be permanently scarred – both emotionally and physically.

Knowing all of these and remembering the sadness in her eyes when the first time she met her, made him hurt. But at the same time, it made him want to protect her and love her even more.

Makoto closed his eyes and took a deep breath, to alleviate the anger coursing through him. When his nerves were calm enough, he turned to face her and apologized for his behavior.

"There's nothing to apologize about. Actually, I should be the one who's apologizing for questioning what you feel for me, which led to this." Kyouko said regretfully as she pulled her hand away and rested them on her lap.

"When you brought up that you've seen the planner, I knew that I had a lot of things to explain to you, including this," Kyouko stared silently at her hands before bringing her gaze back to his face. "Then after our conversation about Maizono-san… When you told me that you're in love with me… I felt so happy when you said those words, but… along with that; I felt guilt, and insecurity."

Makoto reached for her hand, and lifted them gently to his lips, allowing them to trace her skin. The sudden contact made Kyouko pull back slightly as she winced.

"You have nothing to be insecure of, Kyouko," He whispered softly, his breath caressing her scarred skin. He lifted his gaze and met her eyes as he flash a light smile. "I love you just the way you are. Looks are trivial to me. I fell in love because of who you are. You are unlike any other girl I have met. Kirigiri Kyouko is cool, smart and mysterious. She piqued my attention the first day that I've met her."

He wasn't sure of what he was saying.

However, he's sure that all of the words he's blurting out, are his heart's content.

"I always had this feeling of wanting to know her better, because even if she's trying to hide what she truly feels inside by wearing layers of masks. Her eyes are so true to who you are, they're not deceitful," He continued. "Her eyes reflected sadness, and I wanted to know what caused them. And… Now that I know some of it, I've fallen in love with her all over again."

She looked at him wide-eyed in silence, feeling her cheeks heat up from his words.

"Behind Kyouko Kirigiri's mask, is a strong, gentle and caring person, who thinks of others first before herself," He said quietly as he looked down at her hand played with her fingertips. "And right now, all I want to do is to love her and treat her the way she deserves. Because I want to see her happy."

With tears welling up in her eyes, she smiled and cupped his face. "Are you for real, Makoto Naegi?"

"I am," He responded and closed his eyes upon feeling Kyouko's warm lips on his forehead.

"Thank you, for being honest and loving me."

"Thank you for letting me."

As Kyouko pulled away, they looked at each other briefly and chuckled.

"You're just so good with words, aren't you Makoto?"

"I just say what I feel. Sometimes, I don't even know if my words make sense." He replied, scratching the back of his neck with a blush on his cheeks.

The two smiled softly at each other before resting their back against the sofa and leaning their head back against the top.

They stared at the ceiling in unison, allowing themselves to savor the comfortable silence.

Until Kyouko reached for his hand and squeezed it lightly.

"Makoto, about the planner—"

"If you're not comfortable to talk about it, it's fine. We can talk about it when you're ready." He said, cutting her off.

She tightened her hold on his hand and shook her head. "It's okay. I want to talk about it as well… You're the only person who I trust, the only person who I can talk to about this."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I am."

"Then I'll listen."

Kyouko took a deep breath, preparing herself mentally so that she could handle her emotions. She's afraid of seeing the images inside her head again. As she could clearly remember everything as if everything had just happened yesterday.

She started the story with her mom, telling him how close they were than her dad. A smile of reminisce crept across her face as she told Makoto the qualities that she admired in her mother. She told her that she's the one who's always there for her whenever her dad and grandfather's busy with work.

"But that changed, when she died," The sadness in her face was evident, and all that Makoto could do was to entwine his fingers through hers—to squeeze her scarred hand lightly to give her comfort. "Things weren't as vibrant as they were before. I felt as though that a part of me has died as well, when my mom died. It was hard to fake a smile, to talk about the things that I am interested of that I used to talk a lot with her, to do the things that I normally do because it reminds me of her. It was hard. It was so hard to cope up with grief and loss. Especially if that person's so dear to you."

Voice slightly quivering, Kyouko continued.

"My father became busier with work after my mother's passing; he immersed himself in paper works to drown the pain he's feeling. But, even when he's tired from work he always made time for me. That's why… slowly… we became close, but even so, the aching void that my mother left here," Kyouko clutched her chest by the heart with her freehand. "Always remained."

"Kyouko…" was the only word that passed through his lips, as he looked at her solemnly, picking up the sadness and the gravity of the situation that Kyouko had experienced.

"But then, on a cold December day. I met someone who filled the emptiness that my mother has left… I met someone who acted as my sister, my mother and my bestfriend," The soft smile of reminisce soon changed into a pained one as she whispered her name, "Yui… Things changed when I met Yui Samidare."

Kyouko winced, as memories started flashing through her mind again.

Everything's clearer than before—

The day Yui and her met, the days they spent together at the park, the days she tags along with her whenever she goes to her part time job as a delivery girl, the day she met her father, the day she promised that she will take care of her as her little sister and of course, that dreadful night…

The dreadful night where her father died and the person she once trusted most betrayed her.

"Are you okay?" Makoto asked concernedly.

Kyouko nodded silently.

"Yui…" She started, her voice weak and her chest contracting in the mention of her name. "Yui Samidare… She's the first person who understood what I felt because she has lost a loved one too. Over the years, our friendship grew. She became a sister to me, and my dad treated her as his own daughter that's why—it hurts so much that she has betrayed us."

Kyouko grimaced as tears started to stream down her face. The agony of remembering everything in exact details is tearing her apart again.

"Kyouko, if you're not ready to talk about it yet, I'll understand," Makoto spoke softly as he cupped her face and wiped her tears with the pad of his thumb. "We can talk about it some other time, once you're already comfortable to talk about it."

But as Kyouko lifted her head up and looked into his eyes, she spoke.

"They kidnapped me to lure my dad, and Yui pretended to rescue me when the small shack where they locked me in caught on fire," She remembered being the first one to step out of the shack, and the fiery debris blocked the entrance as soon as she got out, trapping the girl inside. "The debris fell and blocked the entrance as soon as I got out, and I wanted to help her… that's why… I…"

Her tear filled eyes looked at her hands.

"I—I didn't want to lose someone again. That's why… I wanted to go back in and save her," Kyouko's voice was shaking as tears streamed rapidly down her face, and even if Makoto was telling her to stop forcing herself to tell her story, she continued. "I could only remember that my hands hurt because of removing the debris blocking the entrance, but as I was about to go in, a man stopped me and saved me."

"It started to rain harshly when he was leading me out of the forest; I remembered how my hands hurt so much, while we were running away from… someone…" Kyouko clenched her fists tightly. "Then… we ran into my dad and… at first he was relieved to see me, but as soon as he saw my hands and the man, anger took over him."

Her chest tightened, the memory was clear to her as for years, this memory haunted her dreams.

"They fought, my dad didn't want to listen to him and I just stood there, wanting to do something to stop them but was paralyzed in fear. I was shaken by everything that has happened. I wanted to go back to the shack. But my legs started to feel weak with the thought of another loved one dying before my eyes."

Makoto's heart stung. The story was too heavy and he doesn't know what to say to her after all of this. He wanted to comfort her, but he doesn't know the right words to say to ease her pain. Why her? Was the only question in his mind. _Why does she have to go through so much?_

"But then, _she_ showed up. I remembered… wanting to rush towards her as she walked towards us unharmed. But as I called her name, she didn't looked at me and just went straight to my dad and the man. My dad even asked for her help to stop the man, when… she pushed them into the river."

Makoto's eyes widened upon hearing those words. It was horrible. What she had been through is horrible beyond words.

" _And I just stood there pathetically, unable to do anything, paralyzed of fear and pain."_

* * *

A/N: I hope you guys liked this! please tell me what you think! anyway! love ya guys! :D


	15. Chapter 15

**Flashback**

 **Kirigiri**

The rain continued to pour down rapidly as the wind blew harshly against her skin. She could feel strong pain in her burnt hands, but she didn't care for it as her mind contains nothing except for the person who had just saved and sacrificed her for her.

 _Yui-_ nee _._

"Kirigiri-chan, let's go!" The man with black hair urged her as she stopped dead in her tracks, wanting to go back to the burning shack.

She wanted to ask the man of his identity, to tell him that they must go back and save her _sister_. But no words came out of her lips, as the events shook her deeply.

"Kyouko!" came a loud voice from behind them.

She turned to face the direction and saw her father, emerging from the thick bushes. His formal wear slightly tattered and his skin full of light scratches.

He was relieved when she saw her standing before him, but as soon as his eyes caught her hands, his expression changed.

"What did you do to my daughter!?" He yelled in anger as his eyes sparked with realization. He walked briskly to the man and grabbed him by his neck.

"I was just here to sav—" before he could even finish what he's about to say, her father punched the man hard in his face, causing him to collapse onto his knees on the muddy ground.

"Please list—"

"I was informed that you were the one who kidnapped her!" He interjected with a loud voice filled with fury, before punching him in his face again.

The man quickly picked himself up off the ground and stopped Jin before he could throw another punch at him. The man tackled him onto the muddy ground and curled his arm around Jin's neck. The man kept on asking him to listen, but her father didn't want to hear any of his words.

Her father used all of his strength to break free from the man's hard grasp and flipped them over. Her father held the man pinned on the ground, arms held tightly behind his back.

"You got to listen!" The man groaned in pain as Jin stood up, lifting the man with great force with him.

She watched her father smile at her, as he spoke, "Let's go, Kyouko. The police are waiting outside the woods."

But the moment he said that caught him off guard of the man's force as he struggled against his hold, causing him to be knocked off his feet.

She just watched them from a distance, with the man walking towards her father; the two, a inches away from the flooded river now. Her father looked at her concernedly, saying the words _'run'_ as he thought that the man would kick him into the rapid flowing waters. Kyouko wanted to obey her father's command but she couldn't bring herself to move from her place. She felt as though her feet were cemented to the ground.

To Kyouko's surprise however, the man offered his hand to her father and told him that they should talk. But, that's when she heard the leaves rustle near-by, revealing Yui, unharmed.

"Yui!" Her father yelled, ignoring the man's request. Panic painted the man's face upon seeing the black haired girl emerge from the bushes. He curled his fist into a tight ball and rushed over to her, but before he could even go further from his last position, Jin held him strongly into place, not wanting the person she considered as his second daughter to be harmed.

"Onee-chan." Were the only words Kyouko could utter in delight upon seeing the person she trust most, alive.

As the girl passed by her, she saw extreme sadness and determination in her eyes as she whispered, _"I'm sorry."_

As Yui stood in front of the man and Jin, the man's eyes looked at her with immense anger as he mustered every bit of his strength to free himself from Jin's hold – but was unable to do so as Jin held him tightly, using every bit of his power to do so as well.

With the man still struggling from his grasp and his daughter being his top priority, Jin spoke, "Yui, please help me, I want you to get the handcuffs the policemen handed to me in my pocket and cuff this guy," He said. "Then lead Kyouko outside of the forest. Police are already scattered in the area but I was the first one who got this far. There are some waiting outside of these woods, please bring her to saf—"

Kyouko's eyes widened, when she saw the person she considered as a family, pushed both the man and her father down into the raging river.

" _W-What's happening!?"_

The girl turned around and looked at her, now wielding a knife in her hand.

"Onee-chan…" Her voice quivered, fear and disbelief washing over her system. "Why?"

The girl walked towards her, and she couldn't bring herself to run from her position even if she knows that her life's at risk if she gets any closer to her.

"I… I… I trusted you." Kyouko's tears streamed down her face as she looked at Yui, who's now standing right before her.

"I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"I had to."

The thunder roared loudly as the rain began to fall intensely, Kyouko looked up only to see Yui looking coldly at her. Her eyes were void of emotion. She was not the person she knew.

"You were deceiving us all this time?"

The girl spoke monotonously, "All this time."

As the lightning flashed, a man emerged from the bushes behind, walking up towards Yui with a devilish smile of content in his face.

"You've done well, Yui." The man spoke, he was familiar to her, she had seen him somewhere but she couldn't remember when.

"Let's go home."

Yui nodded silently as she turned her back to Kyouko and followed the man. All that Kyouko could do was to watch them walk away, with her heart clenching with so much pain. Her whole body felt as though that it has turned into stone. She couldn't move a finger nor a toe. She was too shaken by everything that has happened right before her eyes. Soon, her knees gave up on her, making her fall flop on the ground.

 _It's cold._

 _Cold._

Kyouko's eyes began to feel heavy, as her body collapsed onto the ground. She felt weak, so weak both physically and emotionally.

As her consciousness slowly slipped away, the only person she now had in mind was her father.

 _You shouldn't have come._

 _I'm sorry, I couldn't save you._

 _I…_

Alone, cold and terrified. Kyouko's consciousness drifted away, with rain-mingled tears streaming down her face.

* * *

Tears streamed rapidly down Kyouko's face as the memory shattered her once again. She still had a lot of hell to say but, she was already choking on her own words as she attempted to tell him more.

"It's alright, don't push yourself. We can talk about it some other time," his voice was hushed and comforting, as he pulled her into an embrace. He rubbed her back, mumbling sweet comforting words to her until she calmed down. Kyouko pulled away from their embrace and lay her head on his shoulder, looking at their hands as Makoto laced his fingers through hers.

Makoto slowly lifted her hand and allowed his lips to trace her burnt skin. He felt her pull her hand back slightly from him, but he held her hand firmly and smiled at her.

"Kyouko, can I ask you a favor?" He spoke softly before letting his lips touch the back of her hand, causing her to wince but feel something that she hasn't felt before. "When we're alone, I want you to free your hand from your gloves."

"But... My hands…"

Kyouko grimaced as she looked at it. To her, it was disgusting and shameful. A mark of a horrible past. A past that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Makoto smiled softly as he brought his index finger gently to her lips, sealing them before she could utter another word.

"Don't tell me that it's disgusting ever again," He whispered softly against her skin. To him, she was beautiful and wonderful beyond words could ever capture. "Your hand... Whenever I look at it now, I know, I'll always remember your story. I will always remember how brave and selfless you are. Your scars will always remind me of everything you have been through, and it will always tell me that you're a strong person, Kyouko."

"Makoto." Kyouko smiled and leaned in to kiss his forehead.

"Thank you." She whispered softly, her breath warm against his skin.

He shook his head lightly. "You don't have to thank me. I want you to love yourself and I want you to know that you're wonderful beyond words." He whispered softly caressing her cheek, causing the violet haired girl to blush furiously.

"Idiot, wh-what are you saying…" She stammered, averting her gaze away from his, cheeks continuously warming up. "Don't say embarrass—"

"Kyouko," He cut her off and cupped her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. "What I'm saying is that you're completely perfect to me."

Makoto leaned in, causing Kyouko to squeeze her eyes tightly shut as she waited for Makoto's lips to meet hers.

To her surprise however, she felt his warm lips on the tip of her nose, giving her a soft kiss there.

Pulling away, Makoto grinned.

"You were expecting that I'll kiss you there, don't you?" He asked slyly, as he ran his fingertips lightly across Kyouko's lips.

"I-I wasn't!" She stuttered.

He just smiled softly at her before completely pulling away from her.

"I'm glad you're now smiling," He said. "Do you feel better now?"

Kyouko nodded. "I am." She blinked her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand as she yawned.

"Are you tired?" He asked, noticing Kyouko's sleepy eyes.

She shook her head. "I'm not."

She was though, but she wanted to maximize the time that she could spend with him today, knowing that tomorrow, they have to be cautious with their actions.

"You are though," He sighed. "If you want to I'll be the one to take care of this and so that you can rest in your room. It's already 5pm anyway and we barely slept last night." He said as he eyed on the wall clock near the ceiling before averting his gaze to the teapot, the teacups and the small plate of biscuits. He was about to place them back on the tray and take them to the kitchen when, he felt Kyouko's grip on his shoulder.

"I'll handle that, besides you don't know where the kitchen is." Kyouko sighed, causing Makoto to flush in embarrassment, realizing that he does not know where the kitchen was located indeed.

"Nee, Makoto." Kyouko voiced out as she was starting to clear the coffee table.

"What is it?"

"Can you… stay for a little longer?" She asked her voice laced with shyness. "I just want to show you something."

With a soft smile, he nodded. "Sure."

Kyouko stood up from her seat and took the tray and it's contents to the kitchen. Once done, she went back to the living room and motioned Makoto to follow her upstairs.

Once upstairs, they walked quietly down the hallway, leading to the main balcony. Makoto was in awe as he walked beside Kyouko. His eyes couldn't help but to roam around and be marveled by the hallway's fine Oakwood floors and white carpeted walls. Noticing that there were several doors leading up to a certain room, he couldn't help but to ask where her room is and what's behind the other doors.

Kyouko pointed at the room with a black oak wood door, the third one to the right from the stairs. "That's my room," she said. "But it's off limits…"

"Eh?"

Kyouko smiled as she hooked her arm around his and continued. "For now."

"Girls always want to keep their rooms a secret don't they?" He sighed. "When I was in high school, Sayaka threw her heels at me for almost going into her room."

Kyouko remained mute as they stepped out into the balcony. Kyouko slowly unhooked her arm around his, walked over to the marbled railings, and rested her elbows there. She then propped her chin on her fist and looked at the horizon, watching the sun as it started to set.

"Hey, did I say something wrong?" Makoto asked as he stood beside her, and rested his arms against the railings.

Kyouko shook her head. "You didn't say anything wrong. I just realize that tomorrow, we have to be cautious . . . we can't be seen this close in school, and you know why."

Makoto looked at her worriedly. "It's Sayaka isn't it?"

She nodded. "I… I really don't want to hurt her. Or to make her feel that I've betrayed her. I feel guilty of knowing what she feels and being like this with you behind her back." She sighed. "I want… to be happy. And I am happy with you."

"We have to tell her about this, about us, soon."

"I know."

Makoto went behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"… And I'm scared." She whispered.

"Don't be, she'll understand."

"But…" _If you only know how much she really likes you, Makoto._

"If we have to, we'll make her understand."

"And I hope she will."

"She will." He smiled softly.

'… _I didn't want to tell him that I like him, no. scrap that, I didn't I love him because I'm afraid he'd reject my feelings for him. I kept all of this inside for years and now, I… I just want to… tell him… Kirigiri-san! I want you to help me!'_

She remembered her words when Sayaka told her about her feelings for Makoto. She gritted her teeth, she was stupid to make a promise that she could never keep.

… _I… I'm sorry… Maizono-san._

"Makoto, can we wait for the sunset to end?" Kyouko asked as she closed her eyes and let the gentle breeze of the spring winds caress her skin.

She felt him nod as he held her tighter. She felt him kiss her hair softly, causing her to sigh as she melded herself into the embrace.

In a few minutes, the sunset would be over; the time where she could have him to herself would be over.

 _Tomorrow, things will be different for the two of us._

 _The road will be difficult. . . And all that I am hoping for, is for things to turn out alright in the end._

* * *

 _A/N : **Heyo guys, sorry if there are mistakes again for I haven't edited this one yet. I barely proofread my works because I am always busy doing stuff for college. But I promise, I'll edit my work when I have time. Anyway, love you guys :D and more to come! :D Thank you for all the lovely comments! You guys are the best and I want to do a one shot soon, but but but, i can't decide if i'm going to do fluff, sexual or angst. O_O Anyway, see you guys again in the next chapter!**_


	16. Chapter 16

"Tadaima."

"Okaeri, Makoto-kun!"

A cheerful voice greeted him as he stepped inside their house. It was their aunt, Chisa, standing by the doorway leading to the dining room.

"I'm glad you've arrived just in time for dinner," Chisa said brightly. "I made your favorite."

Hearing this as he was removing his shoes, he looked up and beamed, "Thank you, Chisa-nee."

Chisa returned the smile and turned her back to him. "We'll be waiting for you." She spoke casually, with a hint of pplayfulness in her voice. "Hurry up okay? You owe me and Komaru some stories."

"Eh?" He shot a confused look at her.

"We'll talk over dinner, okay? Ma-kkun~"

Chisa walked back into the dining area, with a huge smile on her face. Makoto could tell that she was excited, or perhaps giddy. He couldn't tell why at first, but as soon, he realized that the name Chisa has called him before leaving was the pet name that Sayaka has given to him.

"Itadakimasu!" Makoto said as he clasped his hand together, before taking a spoonful of curry in his mouth. He closed his eyes and savored each mouthful, as the meat was so tender it almost melt in his mouth. It was heaven. Chisa-nii's cooking is truly the best.

The moment of savoring the wonderful flavors playing in his mouth came into a halt, when he heard someone cleared their throat. He opened his eyes and saw his sister and Chisa, staring at him with a knowing grin on their faces.

"Makoto-kun~ I think you owe us a story." Chisa playfully said, as she took a spoonful of food in her mouth.

"Onii-chan, Sayaka-nee dropped by a while ago," He looked at her and nodded, urging his sister to continue, it wasn't a surprise to him. He already had a hint that she had dropped by because of the name Chisa had called him just a while ago. "She brought me my favorite cheesecake and asked for you."

"Did you ask her why?" He asked, taking another spoonful into his mouth.

"She was just asking if the three of us could hang out with her but, unfortunately you weren't here."

"I see," He answered conservatively. "Did you tell her where I was?"

Komaru nodded and smiled. "I told her that you were in Kamakura with your biology partner."

He gulped. He suddenly felt anxious upon hearing those words from his sister's lips. He couldn't understand why this is making him feel so uneasy. Is he feeling this way because he might get questions about the trip? Or maybe because…

"Nee, Makoto-kun," Chisa called out, snapping him back to reality. "What happened to your biology partner by the way?"

"Ah, Kirigiri-san… She's fine now." He smiled softly, feeling his heart skip a beat just by remembering her face.

"Eehhh?" Komaru eyes widened as she sprung up to her feet and slammed her hands on the table, leaning towards her brother. "You didn't do anything lewd to her, did you Onii-chan!?"

He let out an exasperated sigh when the two looked at him with curiosity; both of them were leaning towards him as if they are eager to hear every word that would come out from his lips.

He frowned. "I didn't, okay? I'm not a pervert."

"Hm?" A sly smile crept across Chisa's face. "But… while I was cleaning your room I found an ero-magazine under your bed."

Komaru faked a gasp as she covered her mouth. "So the magazine that you showed me a while ago belongs to Onii-chan? Onii-chan you're the worst."

"Chisa-nee!? You went inside my room!?" He was flustered now, his face as red as a tomato. "I can ex-explain!"

The two girls exchanged knowing glances, both stifling a laugh.

"Every guy goes through this stage of curiosity and I am no different. But I swear! I'm not a pervert." He reasoned, trying to keep himself composed by wearing a calm facial expression, his face however, says otherwise.

As he took a spoonful of his curry into his mouth, the two sat back down on their seats and laughed. He looked at them, raising a brow.

"What's so funny?"

"Onii-chan, Chisa-nee never went inside your room," Komaru said, stifling her laugh. "I was just playing along."

"That means, you do have _ero-magazines_ under your bed, Makoto-kun." Chisa pointed out, grinning slyly at him.

He groaned and finally, sighed in defeat. "Yes. Just like what I've said, every guy goes through this stage of curiosity and… you know what I mean."

"We know, we know. We were just teasing you," Chisa said. "Anyway, what happened to her?"

"She was just tired," He lied. Kyouko trusted her with her story, it' impossible for him to share such details to people she aren't close with, even if he trusts them. "She stayed up all night to do some research about the plants that we needed."

"I see, she's a hardworking girl, isn't she?"

"She is," His lips involuntarily curled into a tender smile. "She's an amazing person…"

 _The word amazing doesn't justify how wonderful she is._

Upon seeing the genuine smile on Makoto's lips, Chisa couldn't help but to wonder who this person is. She was familiar with such smile, as she had seen it before from her lover. His smile tells her that he is falling, and he is falling hard. With this thought in mind, she couldn't help but to feel sorry for Sayaka, she knew that the girl have feelings for him since they were young as the way she acts around him says it all.

After dinner, Komaru went to the living room to finish her assignment while Chisa and Makoto cleared the table and washed the dishes.

"Hey, Makoto-kun." Chisa called out upon seeing that he seemed to spacing out.

"What is it?" He asked, not taking his gaze off the dishes he's washing.

"What do you feel about, Sayaka-chan?"

He stopped for a second and continued washing the plates as he sighed, "Sayaka-chan is a very special friend."

"Makoto-kun, I don't usually ask questions like these but," she heaved a sigh. "Has it ever crossed your mind that you two could be more than just friends? Did you ever had any feelings for her?"

He closed his eyes, brows furrowed as he thought deeply. "It has never crossed my mind that we could be more than friends, but I did had feelings for her… before, that was a long time ago though." He answered truthfully.

He had always find Sayaka attractive, and did had feelings for her back when they were still in middle school. It would be a lie if he say that he never got attracted to her. Sayaka was his first crush after all.

"I see…"

"Why did you ask by the way?" Makoto asked as he put the plates into the dish racks.

"Nothing in particular. I was just curious." Makoto looked at her suspiciously from the corner of his eye. _What's with this all of a sudden?_

"Nee, can I ask another question, Makoto-kun?"

"Sure, go on."

"The friend who you were with yesterday, what do you think of her?"

He paused and turned to look at her.

"Where is this going?" He furrowed his brows. "What's with this all of a sudden?"

"Makoto-kun, it's been a while since the last time I've seen you smile genuinely," Chisa spoke quietly as she dried the remaining washed plates with a towel.

"What are you saying? I've been smiling a lot. Optimism is the only thing I've got going for me. That's why I—"

"I've known you since you were young, Makoto, the smile that you've been showing everyone since your father's death were halfhearted, so as that optimism that you're boasting of."

Makoto grimaced but immediately composed himself as he responded, "Where is this going, Chisa-nee?"

"I just have a lot of questions in mind today, but it seems as though that I've pissed you off by asking things that I could've asked later," She casually replied in a calm manner before heaving a sigh. "Anyway, you haven't answered my question yet. What do you think of the girl who you were with yesterday?"

"Kirigiri-san, is a special friend who I'd like to protect. I find her amazing in so many ways. Often times, she hides what she feels by wearing a stoic experession but she's really a caring and loving person." He responded, his mind filled with more sweet compliments to say, but is thoroughly careful not to slip a tongue that would give Chisa a hint about what he truly feels for Kyouko.

Chisa smiled softly as she closed the placed the last plate into the dish rack before facing him. _She was right._ "Makoto-kun, you're so easy to read."

"What do you mean?"

"The words you spout and the actions you do tells a lot about what you feel and who you are. You're an open book, Makoto-kun."

He sighed. "You and Kirigiri-san said the same thing about me. I think you two would surely be good friends."

"This friend of yours seems to be interesting. I would like to meet her soon," Chisa said. "If she's free next weekend, why won't you invite her to have lunch with us?"

"S-sure, I'd ask her if she's free," Makoto responded hesitantly. "Anyway, let's go Chisa-nee, Komaru's probably finished with her homeworks, it's good if the three of us would hang out before you go."

With that, he ended the conversation and walked out of the room, confused with conversation he just had with his aunt.

* * *

Kyouko woke up to both the early morning sunlight streaming through the window, and the sound off her buzzing alarm clock.

It was already five in the morning, and her first class will be at eight.

She quickly slipped out of bed, and went to the kitchen.

"Should I even do this?" She murmured to herself and looked at the clock before sighing. She was standing in front of the kitchen counter, making onigiri and tamagoyaki for two bento boxes. She couldn't say that she's good at cooking, however, she's confident about her onigiri and tamagoyaki.

Last night, she thought of him before she slept and remembered that he usually eat breads in his break time. So she thought of bringing him a bento to change things up a bit for him – at least.

Once she was done, she delicately wrapped the two bento boxes in a blue cloth before putting it neatly inside her bag. She then took a bath and changed into their school uniform, but due to the lack of time, she didn't had a chance to do the braid on the side of her hair after drying it.

As she stepped out of the house, the realization that she'd face Maizono today made her feel guilt and shame again. She wondered if she could survive an hour in class and probably a few minutes after with her – without breaking the usual stoic expression and calm demeanor she normally shows to people.

It was already seven thirty when she arrived at the school gate. Normally, she would head directly to her class but today, she found herself learning against the gate's pillar as she planned to wait for him to give him the lunch she prepared.

After a minute or two, she pulled her phone out and texted him.

Kyouko: _Where are you?_

Makoto: On my way to school.

Kyouko: Did you bring the ingredients for the doping potion with you?

Makoto: Yup. Why'd you ask?

Kyouko: We're going to start doing the potion today. I want you to give me the ingredients I'd hand it to Seiko-senpai before I go to class. So that she could turn them into extracts. I'll wait for you at the entrance.

Of course, it was a lie. She just wanted to know where he was so that she could give the bento box to him.

Makoto: Okay =)

She smiled upon seeing the smiley face that Makoto has sent her as she could clearly picture his smile inside of her head.

While waiting, she kept on checking on her bag as she thought of how she'd give the bento box to him.

" _Naegi-kun, here's my thank you for taking care of me last Saturday."_

 _If I say that, I'd get flustered, if I'd remember what happened._

" _Naegi-kun. I always noticed that you're eating bread for lunch so, here."_

 _I sound desperate._

She sighed.

 _I'll just give it to him without saying a word and go to class, I'm about to be late anyway._

"Ah! Kirigiri-chan!" A familiar lively voice snapped her out of her trance. Her heart felt as though it dropped when she heard the she slowly turned her head to the side, she saw Maizono with Makoto.

"Ohayo!"

"O-ohayo." She greeted, looking at Maizono then at him, she noticed that he was holding something, a small box wrapped in pink floral napkin.

"Kirigiri-san," His voice made her turn her gaze back into his face. He was wearing a soft smile. "Ohayo."

"Ohayo," She responded coldly as she held her hand out as if asking for something. "The ingredients."

"Ah, hold on."

He rummaged through his bag, and took out a white plastic stuffed with different plants.

"Here."

Kyouko took the plastic from his hand and excused herself. "I'll be going now. I'll be late for my first class."

She turned her back to them and padded towards the main building, where all classes are held. But halfway through, she heard his voice.

"Kirigiri-san, are you not going to give them to Kimura-senpai before you go to class?" He asked, fully aware that all laboratories are located at the east building.

 _It was a lie._ She wanted to tell him.

Clutching her bag tightly she turned to face them. "I'll be late for class, I'll drop by and hand it to her later, anyway. I have to get going."

She quickly walked away from them, feeling a familiar tightness in her chest.

She knew she shouldn't feel this heart stirring pangs anymore.

She hated herself for feeling this way over such a trivial thing that they went to school together.

" _Makoto already told you that he loves you and you saw how sincere he is._ _You shouldn't feel this way, Kyouko."_ She told herself as she briskly walked down the hallway to her classroom.

Feeling the pang once more as she thought of them, she clutched her chest.

 _But… why?_


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N :** Hey guys, sorry if it took a bit long for me to update this fic. I've been stuck with a lot of paper works and assignment for the past few days because of an upcoming event that would keep my hands full next week. With that said, I haven't proof read this one and have been working on this fic late nights so there might be a lot of errors. (Gomen-nasai~) With that said, I hope you guys would like this chapter.

Thank you again for supporting, Opposites. :D

* * *

Makoto looked over his shoulder to check on Kyouko, as Sayaka and him walked to the opposite direction of the main building.

" _Something's wrong._ " He thought to himself as he watched Kyouko walked briskly down the hallway.

"Is there something wrong?" Sayaka asked.

He looked at her briefly and shook his head. "Nothing really."

Sayaka giggled. "You're checking out on her, aren't you?"

"Eh?" He could already feel heat creeping into his cheeks. But he's trying his best to be cool about. "I'm not."

"You're a terrible liar, you know that?"

He sighed in defeat.

"I'm just worried about her."

"Huh? Is there something wrong?" Sayaka asked curiously.

"She seemed to be upset," Makoto's brows furrowed. "It's probably because she waited for me which caused her to be late in class."

"You shouldn't make a girl wait, Makkun," Sayaka smiled. "You could've told me that you were in a hurry when we were on our way here. We could've ran."

"Knowing you, you'd probably regret running in that uniform. You hate getting sweaty. You don't like running and you don't like your make up to be messed up."

Makoto heard Sayaka chuckle as her heels clicked against the tile floor when she came into a halt.

He peered over his shoulder before completely turning around to face her. "Is there something wrong? We better get going; we're going to be late as well."

"You know me pretty well, nee, Makoto-kun?"

"How could I not? We've been together for years."

In a barely audible voice, she spoke, "Nee, has it ever crossed your mind that we could be—"

Makoto's eyes widened as she mouthed the word to him. He didn't know how to respond, he felt mute and motionless for a brief moment. But as he thought of Kyouko, he thought of an answer, considering the conversation that they had yesterday. Taking a deep breath, he calmed down and composed himself.

"I've never thought of it." Makoto said, shaking his head slightly with a slightly awkward lopsided smile.

"I see."

The smile on Sayaka's face widened as she walked up to him. "Anyway, let's go. Your classroom for your first class is on the fourth floor right?" She took a glance at the wall clock in the hallway. "You're 10 minutes late now. You better run."

"Shit." He cursed under his breath. "Is it okay if-"

"If we'd part ways here? Sure. My class is just down this hall." Sayaka pointed at the second to the last room down the hall.

"How did you know that I was going to ask you to part ways here?"

"I'm an esper, you see." She giggled girlishly at the shocked look in Makoto's face.

"You never told—"

"Just kidding, it was just my intuition. Anyway, you better get going."

Makoto nodded. "Okay, see you later at the café."

Makoto ran towards the stairs, and climbed as fast as could to get to his class.

When his first class ended, Makoto dragged himself tiredly out of the room. He hated how simply being late made the professor dump all of his questions at him. He also hated the fact that the professor gave him a harder assignment than the rest of the class.

As he walked along the hallway, he heaved a long sigh. He wasn't himself, he could still feel his head spinning from all of the questions that he had to answer in that class. As he lazily walked towards the stairs, he heard a loud voice behind him.

"Watch out!"

As he looked back, and instantly felt a strong force hit his face that knocked him off his feet, causing him crash onto his back on the floor.

"Oi, Chibi-kun! Are you okay!?" He heard a man's voice query as footsteps thundered towards him.

 _Chibi?_

He winced as he slowly opened his eyes and brought his hand to his face, trying to soothe the pain caused by whatever it is that hit him.

With his vision slightly blurred, he saw two men staring down at him; one with an unusual hairstyle and a fierce yet worried look on his face, and the other one with a red-orange spiked hair offering his hand.

He took the guy's hand and nodded, "I… I think I'm alright."

"Ah! Naegi-kun!" A familiar soft-spoken voice called out as the guy pulled him up to his feet.

When his vision finally came back to normal, he saw Seiko standing before him and the two guys beside her.

"Kimura-san, do you know Chibi-kun?" The guy with an unusual hairstyle asked.

Seiko nodded. "He's a friend of a close friend."

"Oi, Mondo, don't be rude," The other guy looked at him sternly. "Anyway, Naegi-kun right? Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said rubbing his forehead.

"We're truly sorry," The spiked hair guy said as he briefly bowed. "We were just testing Kimura-san's potion—"

Seiko glared devilishly at them. "You should've asked permission before getting the potions in my laboratory."

"Sorry, sorry, we really need those energy boosters today because we went to a party last night and we're dead tired this morning," Mondo explained. "Our 'super deadly and torturous' baseball practice will be in 30 minutes from now and you wouldn't let us have those potions that's why I stole them. We're sorry Kimura-senpai, we were just desperately in need." He grinned nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

Leon looked at him in disbelief and sighed. "And all along, I thought Kimura-senpai gave you those potions, you shouldn't have tested them as well."

"I just wanted to know if it really works, based on the result I think it does." Mondo looked at the ball in the corner of the corridor, slightly located far from them.

"Mondo-kun, from now on you're prohibited to enter my laboratory, same goes to you Kuwata-kun." Seiko said sternly. The two guys looked at each other, with furrowed brows almost as if having a glaring competition.

"Ah, by the way, Kimura-senpai, did Kirigiri-san gave you the ingredients for the doping potion a while ago?" Makoto asked.

Seiko shook her head slightly. "No, she didn't come to my laboratory today. But I did see her before my first class."

"I see. Maybe she was running late that's why she forgot to give it to you." Makoto chuckled.

"That's weird," Seiko remarked, brows furrowed. "She could've gave it to me after her class since her classroom this morning is just next to mine. And knowing Kyouko, she's not the type of person who forgets even the most trivial things."

 _Kyouko…_

"Did you notice something weird when you talked to her a while ago?"

Makoto's brows knitted together, as he recalled what happened a while ago.

"She was colder… than usual."

 _Or maybe I'm not just used of Kyouko acting cold again…_ He thought and felt warmth creeping into his cheeks as he remembered the moments they shared for the past two days.

"You probably did something that displeased her, Naegi-kun," She sighed and looked at the two guys who are trying to carefully get away from them. "Anyway, Kuwata-kun, Oowada-kun, apologize again to Naegi-kun. The three of us need to talk." Seiko spoke in a dangerously threatening voice that scared the crap out of the two as she accompanied it with a deadly glare.

"Kimura-senpai, it's really o—"

Makoto was taken slightly a back when the two guys bowed before him.

"We're truly sorry, Naegi-kun." The guy who Seiko called as Kuwata-kun said sincerely.

"We're sorry, Chibi-k—" Kuwata nudged him harshly. "I mean, Naegi-kun."

As the two straightened up, the school bell rang, signaling that the next class is about to start in 10 minutes.

"Ah, Kimura-senpai, I need to go now," Makoto said. "We'll probably drop by your lab later, we're going to start doing the potion today."

"Okay," Seiko responded. "See you later then."

"See you later."

* * *

Upon quietly entering his biology class, he immediately spotted Kyouko staring outside of the window as usual. Most of their classmates weren't there yet, ten seats were only filled out of forty, with Kyoko's included.

He stood at the door for a while, wanting Kyouko to notice him or greet him but, the simple hi or smile that he was hoping to see didn't happen. That's when he knew, something's definitely off.

With a smile on his face, he walked over to her and slipped into his seat.

"Thinking about something?" He asked, trying to sound as casual as he could as he rest his elbow on his desk to cup his face. "You seem to have a lot in mind."

Kyouko looked at him from the corner of her eye. "It's nothing."

Sighing, Makoto leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"I know that we've agreed to keep a certain distance in school but, you seem to be unusually cold," He pointed out, noticing that Kyouko's vibe since this morning felt off. "Have I done something to upset you?"

Gritting her teeth, Kyouko turned her face slightly, causing their lips to be just inches apart.

Both hearts lurched and plunged inside their chest, feeling their breaths ghosting across their lips.

He was tempted.

He was tempted to fill the small space separating their lips, but instead of obeying his desire, he immediately pulled away and apologized.

"S-sorry," He bashfully said, as he averted his gaze in embarrassment.

"You've done nothing to upset me, but with the way that you're acting right now, I couldn't be more annoyed." She deadpanned and looked outside of the window once more.

"You're angry at me," He pointed out and sighed. "If you're angry because you waited long for me a while ago which might've caused you to be late in class. I'm really sorry."

Kyouko didn't respond, but her silence urged him on to explain what happened.

"Well you see… Komaru-chan and I had an argument this morning because of well… how do I put this…" Kyouko saw him scratched the back of his neck from the corner of her eye; he appeared to be relieving a funny or perhaps, an embarrassing memory. "Komaru-chan, made me lunch this morning and to be quite honest, I'd rather stick needles to my eyes rather than eating the meal she had prepared for me today."

 _Then… bento box that he was holding a while ago wasn't from Maizono-san?_

Composure intact, she turned to look at him. "You're a horrible brother for saying that."

With Kyouko saying those words with a straight face and a serious voice, he felt as though that his self-esteem as a good brother was being crushed in front of him.

Grabbing the opportunity to give a light atmosphere between the two of them, he clutched his chest and faked a pain expression. "That's a cruel thing to say, Kirigiri-san."

With disappointment and jealousy lifted off from her chest upon hearing what he had just told her, a small smile crept across her lips. "No good brother would say that they'd want to stick needles into their eyes rather than eating the meal that their imouto had prepared for them."

He sighed in defeat. "Then I dare you to eat two poached tuna eyeballs and fried kangaroos."

Kyouko's face twisted into a grimace of horror and disgust. "I take back what I've said. That's indeed terrible, who would even want to eat an animal as cute and as precious as a kangaroo."

Makoto chuckled and looked at her in amusement; it was the first time that he had heard her say an adorable statement.

"What are you laughing at?"

He shook his head. "I'm just amused. You're really cute when you're expressive."

Despite of trying to look at him in a serious and composed manner, heat crawled into her cheeks.

"Stop saying weird things." She sighed, causing Makoto to smile.

They then both properly sat on their seats, looking straight at the projector in class and kept silent for a few minutes, until Makoto spoke up.

"Are you still upset with me?"

Kyouko shook her head slightly. "I told you I wasn't upset… I was just…"

 _A little disappointed… I guess…_

"Ohayoo Naegi-kun!"

An energetic Hinata greeted as he ran towards them upon entering the room, causing the two to look at him, startled.

With a mischievous grin on his face, he looked at them closely, tinting his finger to his chin. "What's this vibe that I am getting from the two of you? You two seem closer…"

"What are you talking about?" Makoto said, looking at him in question, one of his brow raised.

"Nothing, I just haven't seen you guys talking a lot so this is a rare sight." Hinata replied.

 _Hinata's pretty observant…_

"Ohayo," greeted Chiaki as she joined the group. "What are you guys talking about?"

Hinata smirked and leaned towards Nanami to whisper something in her ear.

Kyouko and Makoto looked at them in disbelief, before looking secretly at each other for a few seconds; Makoto gave her an apologetic smile and Kyouko returned it with a small smile of amusement.

When they turned their gaze back to the couple, they noticed that Chiaki's cheeks started to turn pink as her lips curved into a small smile.

"Ano…" Chiaki looked at Kyouko. "Is it true that Naegi-kun's asking you to go out with him?"

Kyouko's brows furrowed as she stiffened.

She remained mute and shook her head.

 _Are we technically going out now?_ She asked herself. _But, despite of having mutual feelings for each other, we're hiding it to other people._

"Oi, Hinata." Naegi called out, faking anger in his voice as his face twisted into a harsh snarl.

"Just kidding, just kidding," Hinata said, raising both of his hands in defeat.

"Anyway, are you guys available after class? Chiaki told me this morning that she wanted to hang out with you get to know you guys well, so I thought it would be good if the four of us would have lunch together."

Makoto turned his gaze back to Kyouko who seemed to be in a deep thought.

He shook her shoulder slightly to snap her out of her trance. "Kirigiri-san?"

"Uh?"

"You're free after class right? Hinata-kun's asking if we could join him and Nanami-san for lunch."

Kyouko turned her gaze back to the couple, and saw Chiaki's irresistible and hopeful smile.

"I am available after this class but, Naegi-kun and I still have to work on the biology project today," Upon saying this, she noticed Chiaki's smile slowly fade away. "But… We could spare around 30 minutes to eat lunch with you guys."

"Really!?" Chiaki said, delight evident on her voice as she smiled widely at them.

Kyouko nodded as she sighed. "Yeah."

Enthusiasm and excitement was painted all over Chiaki's face, and Kyouko couldn't help but to find it adorable. She hasn't encountered someone who's so excited to have lunch with a boring and cold person like her… well, except for Makoto.

Hinata chuckled in amusement upon seeing his girlfriend's reaction.

"Sorry, she gets excited whenever she hangs out with people who interests her," Hinata explained. "It's rare for her to be interested with people because most of the time she's too engrossed playing games or studying."

Chiaki looked at him and pouts, "You're talking too much, Hajime."

"Sorry, they looked so lost when they saw why you're so excited about it. I feel like I had to explain."

Makoto smiled as the couple went on a cute little argument, before turning his gaze to Kyouko, lips curled into a small smile as she's staring at the two.

"They're in a serious relationship, right?" She asked softly.

Makoto nodded. "Yeah, Hinata-kun told me they've been together since they were in high school."

"I wonder how it feels… to be able to be with the one you like or love without hiding it from everyone… for from someone in particular, because you don't want to hurt them."

"Kyouko. . ." He whispered in a low voice laced with concern.

 _I'm a little jealous._

"Anyway, Kirigiri-san, Naegi-kun, class is starting. We better go and take our seats," Hinata smiled. "Later okay?"

Makoto nodded. "Later."

Chiaki and Hinata went to their respective seats as the lights in their classroom began to dim.

He heard Kyouko let out a breath as he felt her hand rest on top of his under his desk.

Makoto looked at her and from the darkness of the room, he could clearly tears welling up in her eyes, twinkling like stars against the projector's light.

Makoto looked from side to side, careful not to be seen as he took Kyouko's hand gently from the top of his hand and held it in such way that he could entwine his fingers through hers to give it a comforting squeeze.

He didn't need to ask what was bothering her, he knew.

And all that he could do is to assure her that everything's going to be alright.

 _It has to be._

* * *

 ** _A/N :_** So, how was it? I hope you guys liked it. And, anyway, if you see some error/mistakes please don't hesitate to comment it down below. :D  
Uhm, their college schedules are different btw, (Kyouko and Maizono meet every Monday, Wednesday and Friday after lunch/her breaktime. and Tuesday and thursday before lunch - different classes.) (Makoto and Kyouko only meet every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.) (Makoto/Chiaki/Hinata and Kirigiri only meet in their biology class)

Anyway, any thoughts? Share it.

And I made a new fic, a fantasy one because I've been watching sad movies lately and I happened to watch an anime movie named "hotarubi no mori e" Got inspired by it and made my own twist, however. it doesn't really have the same plot as that movie, but yeah one of them is a ghost.

Questions that I often get : Will it have a happy ending?

Me : Depends on my mood tbh... (I have two endings one is an emotionally sad ending and one is a weird happy ending)

Anyway, Love ya guys.

Thank you again for all the support.

I might not be able to update this next week. But i'll try.

:D


	18. Chapter 18

The rooftop was quiet and windier than usual.

The whoosh of wind rustled the leaves and made the trees' branches to dance gracefully.

"It's a nice day, isn't it? Kyouko?" Makoto smiled as he looked up to the azure blue sky, his hand slowly reaching for hers.

She flinched and felt her cheeks warmed up upon feeling his hand on top of hers, his thumb caressing her skin intimately but very chaste.

Makoto turned his face slightly to look at her as he stopped his action and withdrew his hand, his face shows nothing but worry.

"I'm sorry. You didn't like that, did you?"

Kyouko shook her head slightly. "It's fine… I'm just slightly worried that Nanami-san and Hinata-kun might see us like this."

"I see," Makoto heaved a sigh, almost sounding defeated and frustrated. "I'm sorry."

"You already apologized." She pointed out, smiling softly at him.

"Right…" He flushed in embarrassment, and scratched the back of his head.

Kyouko chuckled at his actions, finding him adorable when he's flustered.

"By the way, why did you took this offer of spending half of our break time with them… I mean, knowing you…"

He playfully said, wanting to tease the girl a bit. However, his sly grin turned into a nervous smile when Kyouko's expression changed as she looked at him. Her brows were furrowed in question and her gaze was intense as if it were boring a hole into his face. Makoto gulped, and pursed his lips tight, not wanting to continue what he was about to say.

"Knowing me what?"

He shook his head vigorously. "Nothing."

"Makoto, what is it?" Her voice was serious as she looked at him intently, wanting him to spill his thoughts out to her.

"It's nothing, it's nothing really." He nervously responded, backing slightly away from Kyouko as she started leaning towards him. Her gaze were fixed on his face, her purple irises were looking at him ever so seriously.

He flushed when his eyes fell on her lips. She was just inches close to him, so close that he could feel her warm breath on his face.

He gulped and turned his head to the side as he whispered, "You're too close." shyly.

"S-sorry." Kyouko immediately pulled away from him and leaned her back against the rooftop's wall. Makoto sighed in relief, and smiled upon noticing Kyouko's pink tainted cheeks.

As they both fell in awkward silence, Kyouko sighed and looked up to the sky. _Knowing me?_ Her thoughts hovered around the words Makoto said. _What does he truly think of me?_

"Hey, Kyouko," Makoto called out softly as he looked at her with concern. He noticed that she has been spacing out a bit during their class and the way she acted extremely cold at him this morning was quite peculiar. Thinking about what happened in their day so far, he felt that something was troubling her and maybe, his words that was meant to 'just be a tease' might've added salt into the wound that Kyouko already has.

"I was just planning to tease you a bit when I said that _knowing you_ line," Makoto confessed. "Don't take it seriously. I just wanted to tease you because you seemed to be so serious since this morning."

Kyouko glared at him, lips twisted in disappointment.

"You should be careful with the words you speak," She grunted. "You'll never know if someone would take it seriously, and be affected by it."

"S-sorry."

Kyouko just nodded and remained silent as she started pulling out the bentos she made this morning.

"Two?" Makoto spoke up with curiosity, his brows furrowed as he looked at the bento boxes sitting on the rooftop's floor.

For the past few days, he had been observing her and had noticed that she had never brought any bento box or even food with her in school. She just normally buy something at the cafeteria, or sometimes, use her break time to take a nap at the garden – or perhaps to go to the place beyond the bushes.

Kyouko sighed, and turned her face to the side to avoid his gaze.

"The other one… I made the other one for you." She bluntly confessed, cheeks heating up ferociously in embarrassment.

"E-eh?" Makoto felt his heart flutter. He could feel his blood creep across his cheeks as he became overwhelmed with different emotions. This was the first time that someone – a girl, other than Sayaka has made him lunch. To others, it might not be a big thing but -to him it meant a lot.

"I just notice that you always buy food in the cafeteria and thought that it would be better if you eat something else…" Hiding her left hand from his gaze, she started to fiddled with her fingers. She hated it when she's being this honest— no, perhaps, she hated to reveal that she has been observing him since the day they met. "You always eat curry pan, or yakisoba pan. And I thought that eating the same things for lunch is boring and I thought that… it would change things a bit up for you… If I made you something."

Makoto let out a boyish chuckle as he smiled – she swore she saw relief and happiness etched in his face.

"I'm glad." He sighed, closing his eyes with a soft smile still etched on his face.

Kyouko looked at him quizzically. "Hm?"

"Because when I met you, you seemed to be the kind who doesn't care about things that aren't important or doesn't interest you." He responded as he opened his eyes and looked at her.

Her heart fluttered, but she kept a stoic expression on her face as she retorted in a calm manner. "You are my partner anyway, so I thought I'd keep an eye on you."

"Right." was the only word Makoto managed to reply as he averted his gaze to the sky. His smile widened, he had a feeling that she was lying despite of responding in a calm demeanor.

"Ah, by the way."

Kyouko turned her gaze to him. "What?"

"Chisa-nee, wanted to meet you," He said, remembering the conversation he had with Chisa last night. "She wanted you to come over this weekend."

She felt heat creeping up to her cheek again for some reason she couldn't explain. There's something about meeting a relative of the guy that she loves that excites her. She couldn't help but to feel excited and nervous, as countless thoughts started to race inside her mind.

Thoughts such as, _"What's he planning to do?"_

" _Did he tell her about what happened to us?"_

" _Is he going to introduce me as someone special to him?"_

" _What should I wear? How should I act around them?"_

"But, if you're busy…" She listened to him continued. "I'll tell them that you can't make it because of some important errands. I'm sure Chisa-nee would understand."

"Alright." Kyouko nodded as she slowly closed her eyes and sighed. "I'll go, if nothing important comes up this week."

Makoto flushed another soft genuine smile. "I'll be looking forward to it. I'll tell Chisa-nee about this conversation right away."

As Kyouko returned the smile, the rooftop's metallic door swung open, revealing the couple, Chiaki and Hajime. They were both wearing knowing grins on their faces as they stepped out and walked over to them.

"I never knew that Kirigiri-san knows how to smile," Hajime teases, causing Kyouko's smile to fade as she moved slightly away from Makoto. "Neither do I know that you two are 'that' close."

Chiaki and Hajime sat in front of them as they put down the items that they bought from the cafeteria on the space between them—along with Kyouko's and Makoto's bento boxes.

Kyouko sighed and closed her eyes before clearing her throat as she looked at Hajime.

"Hajime Hinata-kun. Let me remind you that I am human too. I know how to smile, to laugh, to interact. I _just_ don't like senseless human interactions, thus I do not interact with everyone fondly – _unlike you guys,"_ Kyouko said nonchalantly. Makoto looked at her from the corner of his eye and saw that she was still wearing the stoic expression on her face, but her hand – her right hand was clenching her skirt tightly.

 _It's a bluff. There's more to it. Nee, Kyouko?_ He thought to himself, remembering all of the conversations they had.

"And, Makoto and I's relationship… We're partners. It's necessary that we get along to make the experiment a success."

Kyouko was fired up…

No…

To Chiaki and Hajime, they might think of it that way.

But to Makoto, he could see how she was trying to build a wall of defense… probably to protect the real status of their relationship…

Flabbergasted at the words Kyouko spewed from her mouth and how fired up she was by the simple teasing, Hajime nervously smiled at her as he apologized. "Sorry, I was just teasing you. I'm sorry."

"Hajime-kun, you should really be careful with the words you speak." Chiaki sighed as she looked at him reprimandingly.

"Sorry," He spoke sincerely in a hushed voice. "But with all honesty. I'm really glad that you two are getting along. I really like seeing you two togeth—"

The two flushed in unison, even when Hajime failed to complete his sentence as his girlfriend nudge his side roughly with her elbow.

" _Ow!"_ He yelped as he held onto his side and looked at his girlfriend.

"What was that for?!"

"You're making them uncomfortable, _Hina-chan."_ Chiaki spoke softly, in a calm demeanor but Makoto and Kyouko could sense the slight playfulness in her tone, perhaps a tease that caused Hajime to fake an angry expression.

"Don't call me Hina-chan. It sounds like a girl's name!"

"I'll continue calling you Hina-chan unless you tone down your _talkativeness_ … You're more talkative than most of the girls in this campus . . . _Hina-chan._ "

Hajime let out an annoyed sighed of defeat. "Okay, okay. I get it."

Chiaki's lips curled into a smile.

"Anyway, let's eat. I'm hungry."

" _She ignored me."_ Hinata thought as he watched Kyouko and Makoto nodded as they open their bento boxes. Chiaki on the other hand, was taking the lid off the lunches that they've bought from the canteen.

* * *

Throughout lunch, Chiaki had asked Kyouko light questions about herself, claiming that she wanted to know her better – that she was an interesting person. Normally, Kyouko would feel weird whenever she's asked questions such as, "what's your favorite food." "Your favorite band." "your favorite music." "Your favorite subject." "Are you interested in games?" and etc. But somehow, Chiaki… Chiaki Nanami was different. She was fun to talk to, and she was interesting as well. Chiaki was surprisingly open. The slightly 'seemingly' private questions that Kyouko asked were easily and truthfully answered.

The two automatically clicked… However…

Kyouko wanted to be cautious, that's why there are times that she would avoid questions that could unveil something from her past.

Chiaki Nanami.

She gives off a familiar vibe.

A vibe she feared yet loved.

The warmness of an elder sister…

A familiar vibe. The vibe that a girl called _Yui Samidare had._

That's why when Chiaki said, "Nee, Kirigiri-san, I heard that you're living alone. Are your parents working abroad like, Naegi-kun's?"

She pursed her lips, hesitant to answer.

All eyes were on her.

Two, waiting for her answer. One, worried and concerned.

"My mother died when I was young, my father died because of an accident." She answered truthfully, yet conservatively. Her heart feels like exploding. She wanted to tell people about it. She wanted to tell people that it wasn't really an accident just as the police had said in their reports. She wanted to tell them that everything was set up. That the possibility that the current headmaster of the school they are in might be the one responsible for her father's death.

But with the small proof that she has.

The whole world would just laugh at her.

 _An accident… not really._ _I was there. I saw it. It was murder._

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Chiaki said in a sincere apologetic voice as she bowed her head slightly and stared at her lunch.

"You didn't know. It's alright…"

The sound of a bento box clicking close beside her took Kyouko's attention. She snapped her head to look at Makoto and saw the boy packing up his things in a hurry after looking at his watch.

"Kirigiri-san, we only have 45 minutes left. We still have to do our biology project, right?"

 _He's trying to get me out of here._

Going along with his act, she spoke in a slightly surprised manner. "Ah, I almost forgot."

She snapped her head towards the couple and bowed her head to excuse herself.

"It was fun… to have lunch with the both of you. I look forward to join you two some other time." She spoke politely.

As she lifted her head, Chiaki smiled at her. "I look forward to hang out with you again, Kirigiri-san."

"Same here."

"Thank you," She said as she packed her bento box and put it properly inside her bag before standing up. "See you guys around."

With that, Makoto and Kyouko bid their farewells and went back inside the school building.

While walking along the hallway towards the biology lab, Kyouko spoke.

"Nee, Makoto-kun. Thank you."

"Hm? What for?" He asked, obviously playing dumb.

"You know what I mean."

He grinned playfully. "What? How do I know what you mean? I can't read your mind, Kyouko."

"Kirigiri," She corrected, aware and wary of the small group of people walking around the hallways. "And nevermind."

Sensing that he had annoyed her, he picked up his pace and walked beside her. "I was just kidding," He chuckled. "I know what you exactly mean, I felt that you were uncomfortable, that's why I pulled us out of there."

She answered him with silence as they continued to walk. Makoto sighed, _She's pissed._ He thought to himself as he tapped her shoulder lightly.

"Hey, Kyo—Kirigiri. I'm sorry, I was just kidding."

To his surprise however, the girl seemed to be startled – as though she had been snapped out of a trance – or perhaps a deep thought.

Shaking her head, she looked at him. "Sorry, but what were you saying?"

He sighed from relief when she wasn't pissed at him, however, from the expression plastered on her face – he could tell that she was bothered with something.

"You were uncomfortable a while ago, that's why I decided to pull us out of there. I don't like seeing you being uncomfortable."

She smiled softly and he smiled back.

As they were a few steps close to the laboratories, Kyouko stopped dead in her tracks. Makoto turned to face her.

The corridor and the hallways towards the labs were empty during this time of the day as most of the laboratory classes are held during Tuesdays and Thursdays.

"Nee, Makoto-kun."

"What is it?"

"Have you ever wondered why I studied in this school despite of knowing that there's a possibility that the current headmaster could be the one responsible for my father's death?"

"I've been wanting to ask you." He had thought about it, on his way home from her house yesterday but came out with nothing but revenge as an answer. "All I could think about is revenge. However, I am concerned. You inherited your father's last name, wouldn't it be dangerous to have you here in this school if the current headmaster is indeed the one who's responsible for your dad's death?"

"I've been wondering as well why they haven't done anything to me yet. That's why I've been considering the fact that maybe… just maybe… the reason why my father was killed doesn't' have anything to do with him – almost getting the position of the headmaster of this school before. And maybe if it is… The current headmaster might not be aware of it."

"What do you mean?"

"That someone else might've been the one who had set up to kill my dad, and might've set up the current headmaster as the culprit as well. My other theory is that it might be the headmaster and that he knows that I am in this school, however… He might've kept me alive for some reason since he could have killed me back then," She explained. "Anyway, let's keep going."

She started walking towards the lab where Seiko always use but half-way there. Makoto spoke.

"Are you not afraid? Are you not afraid that by entering this school… they could closely monitor every step that you make? That they could kill you anytime they wanted and sweep it under the rag just like what they did to your father?"

She stopped and faced him.

"I'm afraid. I fear for my life. I fear that I might die not knowing the truth. I fear… not being able to spend more time with you… I am afraid… But… I need to take a risk."

"But… You could have entered another school and take up the same course. To be a detective sometime in the future and unveil the truth about your father's death."

"If I've done that. I wouldn't have been able to meet you. If I've done that. I wouldn't have been able to smile like I do now. If I've done that, I wouldn't have been able to feel all of these emotions that I am feeling right now. If I've not done that… I'd probably still feel hopeless, I'd still feel that I couldn't do anything to unveil what truly happened; I'd probably give up on searching for the truth…"

"Kyouko…"

"I lived… such an unfortunate life. There's no doubt that with everything that has happened to me, actually… when I admitted myself here. I told myself that I'd search for the truth. I was committed, but my will wasn't strong enough. Because it would be hard searching for evidences that would lead me to the truth, given that it has been years since that incident had happened." With a lopsided sad smile she continued. "Being alone for years felt lonely. So lonely. That along with the want to know the truth – there's a want to just… disappear. However, when I met you that changed."

"I started… to feel much more alive. I started to feel emotions other than loneliness. And thinking about that now, I do not regret going here… in this school – even if that means that I am risking my life. Because. . . I was able met you, Makoto Naegi." She smiled softly. "I met you, and I fell hard for you. I fell hard that you changed the way I see things. And I'm grateful."

" _I'll forever be grateful for it."_

* * *

A/N : So, what do you think guys? I hope this is good enough.

Anyway, please do comment what you think about this chapter and what I should improve.

I'm sorry for the wrong grammars or pronouns in some part since i was extremely tired while I was writing the fic late at night (due to some projects and shenanigans that I had to do)

Anyway. I love you guys! :D


	19. Chapter 19

Noises soon filled the halls and school grounds as most of the university's students were dismissed from all of their classes. Most teens that were going out of school were chatting while rushing to and fore to their destination. The once filled parking lot was now empty as cars were now starting to zip by on both directions of the road.

Everything seemed to be lost at an unsteady pace of constant movement and flow, except for the guy whose back is leaned against the school gate's pillar.

Everything seemed to be moving around him in a constant blur as he stood there patiently, waiting for _her._ He pulled his phone out to check on the time and frowned upon realizing that he had been waiting for almost thirty minutes.

"Kyouko, where are you?" He murmured to himself as he lifted his gaze from his phone to look at entrance of the main building, hoping that he'd see her stepping out of there.

He closed his eyes as he leaned his head gently against the pillar, heaving a sigh.

 _She probably went home now._ He thought to himself as he slowly opened his eyes and looked at the Sunkist-yellow sky. He didn't notify her that he'd be waiting for her to walk her home before going to his shift. He wanted to surprise her and to spend a little more time with her – especially after hearing everything that she had said earlier. Despite of having a thought that Kyouko might get mad at him for waiting for her (since it has been their deal that they won't _act_ too close around school because of Sayaka) his desire to follow what his heart says is greater than the fear of having such thoughts.

"Naegi-kun?"

Makoto immediately snapped out of his trance as soon as he heard a familiar calm and soft voice called for his name. A soft smile of relief played on his lips as he lifted his back from the pillar and turned his head to the side.

It was Kyouko, however…

"Makkun~ Good Afternoon!"

She was with none other than Sayaka Maizono, who's giving her usual cheerful smile.

"A-ah… Good Afternoon." He stuttered, confused of the whole situation that's in front of him.

 _Why is Kyouko with her? I thought she isn't comfortable around her because of . . . us?_

"Who are you waiting for, Makkun?" The blue-haired girl queried.

 _Crap._

"A-Ah… I… I just wanted to give Ky-Kirigiri-san the list of the possible formulation for our doping potion project in our Biology class. I thought it would be wise if she'd go over them tonight so that we'd start doing some test on Wednesday."

 _Come on, Makoto. You can do this._

Wanting his act to be more believable, despite of the skeptical look that Kyouko was giving him – he opened his bag and rummaged through it.

"Shit." He cursed and sighed before turning his gaze back to the girls.

"I think I forgot it in the library, I'm sorry. Kirigiri-san." He said as he closed his bag and clasped his hands together as if he's begging for forgiveness to Kyouko.

He could feel the weight of Kyouko's stare at him as if it was telling him that he was ridiculous and a bad liar. _I'm dead._ _Just go along with it. Please._

"It's fine," she heard her say, which lifted off the weight off his shoulders. It was a relief. "You can just mail it to me tomorrow."

"Hm?" Sayaka looked at them back and forth with a confused look on her face. "Makoto-kun told me that Kimura-senpai is going to help the two of you in the project what's the formulation for?"

 _Shit._

Kyouko looked at him briefly and sighed before turning her gaze to Sayaka.

"Seiko…" She addressed casually in a calm demeanor, making Sayaka's eyes wide in surprise. "Wants us to find out the formulation ourselves. She told us it wouldn't be _'our'_ project if she intervene in that part."

"I see." Sayaka said. Makoto let a small sigh of relief escape from his lips before averting his gaze to Kyouko, giving her a small smile of _'thank you'_.

Kyouko sighed and turned her serious gaze to Makoto. "Anyway, let's go. You guys will be late for your shifts. It's already 4:30PM."

"Ah! You're right." Sayaka said as she took a quick glance at her wristwatch. "Kirigiri-san, why won't you come with us for a quick afternoon snack in the café?"

"I'll pass. I have a lot of things to do at home."

Despite of how calm and collected Kyouko seemed to appear in front of Sayaka, Makoto could tell that she was nervous – that she's probably feeling awkward being in front of Sayaka after what _they_ have done.

"I see," Sayaka sighed.

"Anyway, let's get going. We've been hanging out in this place for a while," Makoto said. "Why won't you walk with us on your way home, Kirigiri-san? You're going this way right?"

Makoto smiled as he pointed his thumb at the road to his left side.

From the corner of her eye, Kyouko swore she momentarily saw Sayaka's face fell in disappointment. " _Did Sayaka wanted to walk with Makoto alone?"_ She wondered.

"That's a good idea!" Sayaka chirped, keeping her smile in place to hide her true emotions. "I'd be able to talk more to Kirigiri-chan."

Kyouko wanted to refuse Makoto's offer, but before she could do so, Sayaka grabbed her gloved hand tightly and pulled Kyouko with her as she started walking, leaving Makoto tailing behind them.

"M-Maizono w-wait." Kyouko stuttered.

As soon as their pace were in sync, Sayaka let Kyouko's hand go and hooked an arm around Kyouko's, causing the lavender haired girl to find the situation embarrassingly awkward. She had never encountered a person as clingy as the girl. To Kirigiri Kyouko, Maizono Sayaka is the girl that everyone would envy. She has a certain beauty and charm that would captivate every young man's heart and, a bubbly and cheerful personality that makes her appear approachable and friendly to everyone's eyes. Kyouko was certain that Sayaka Maizono is that kind of girl that you'd either resent or love.

Whenever she's in their class, she could hear most of the students there talk about her. Some talking ill and some praising the way she exudes an air of elegance and friendliness.

It's impossible.

It's impossible to hate someone like her.

It's impossible to want the girl to hurt.

To be in pain.

Kyouko… was certain… she doesn't want to see the girl in pain. She doesn't want the girl to have her heart clenching in hurt.

"Kirigiri-chan?" Maizono's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Kyouko slapped her cheek lightly as she blinked her eyes before turning her head to the blue-haired girl.

"I'm sorry. Were you saying something?"

Maizono smiled as she tightened her arm's embrace around Kyouko's.

"I really want you to come along with us in the café," Sayaka said softly. "I really want to hang out with Kirigiri-chan after class. I want to be Kirigiri-chan's friend."

 _Why?_

Kyouko tensed a bit upon hearing those words. It was comical, she thought. At that very moment, she felt as though that the world's going to play with her again. That this time, it would be deciding whether she'd take friendship or romance as her priority.

"Sayaka, you're scaring her." Makoto commented as he caught up a bit to them. "Stop forcing her to tag along if she doesn't want to." He sighed.

"But!—" Sayaka turned her face to Makoto and pouted. "I really want to hang out with Kirigiri-chan."

 _Seriously, she's like a 5 year old._

"I want to be friends with Kirigiri-chan." Kyouko heard the girl whisper in a barely audible voice as Sayaka turned her head away from Makoto. For some reason, she felt that the girl intentionally said that in a way that she's the only one who could hear her. For some reason, Kyouko's rational mind was telling her that the girl was probably suspecting that something's going on between _her_ and Makoto and thus wanting to be friends with her so that she could prevent any of those feelings to develop further. But… something was also telling her that Sayaka was sincere, as she remembered having a conversation with Sayaka in their class.

" _You should express your feelings a bit more, Kirigiri-chan." The blue-haired spoke as she tapped her mechanical pencil lightly against her notebook, eyes were focused at the professor and her hand was cupping her cheek._

" _Hm?" Kyouko hummed as she continued jotting down some notes from their lecture._

" _I just thought that if you open yourself up a bit people would certainly be falling in line to be friends with a cool girl like you."_

 _Kyouko sighed. "People are more interested to be friends with someone like you, Maizono-san."_

 _Sayaka paused for a bit and heaved a sigh._

" _I don't think so." Maizono whispered, her voice – laced with loneliness._

 _Kyouko remained mute as she looked at the girl from the corner of her eye. Letting her silence to urge the girl to speak her mind._

" _Has Makoto mentioned why I work in my father's café, Kirigiri-san?"_

" _No, we don't talk about other people nor talk to each other about ourselves. We're not as close as you think we are." She said bluntly._

 _Sayaka chuckled. "I see."_

" _But would you mind if I tell you why?"_

 _Kyouko shook her head. "No. If you want to talk about it, I'll listen."_

" _thank you." Sayaka said as she smiled._

 _The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she started telling Kyouko the reason behind why she was working in her father's café._

" _I wanted to be more independent. I really hate it when they say that I only rely on my parent's wealth," She started. "Most people would see me as someone who's useless. A spoiled girl who could have everything that she wanted in a blink of an eye."_

" _When I was in middle school… Most of my classmates hated me."_

" _Why?"_

" _Despite of trying so hard to make friends and trying so hard to be cheerful and friendly around everyone, most of them always tell me that I am fake and that the grades that I didn't deserve all of the grades that I have in most of my subjects because they were just 'bought'."_

 _Kyouko could see Sayaka's eyes glisten against the light. 'to be alone. . . and to feel that everything's against you is painful. Too painful.' Kyouko thought as she knew the feeling all too well._

" _but I try so hard. I try so hard to meet everyone's expectations. My parents, the people around me and to myself… I want… to make my parents proud of me. I want to make friends who doesn't think ill of me behind my back…"_

" _You can't meet everyone's expectation, Maizono-san. If you do that, you're going to lose who you are. You should just live your life the way you want it to be. And I'm pretty sure there are people out there who are friends with you and doesn't think ill of you behind your back," Kyouko responded calmly. "I know that what you've been through is painful. But… You can't think of everyone as people who talks behind your back. I'm pretty sure Naegi-kun isn't like that."_

" _I'm pretty sure that everyone who talks ill to you when you're not around are those who envies you. You have a lot of outstanding qualities to be envied for anyway."_

 _Kyouko could tell that Maizono's eyes widened upon hearing such words from her. It was obvious that Maizono never expected to hear those from her, let alone to have her spout lengthy and encouraging words. Kyouko was quite surprise herself that she was able to tell Sayaka what she had in mind upon hearing her story._

 _The conversation ended with a genuine smile from the blue-haired girl as she whispered a soft and sincere, "thank you." Kyouko returned the smile and since then, Kyouko felt as though that she needed to be by this girl's side – she felt connected to her in some way._

 _Even though their circumstances were completely different._

 _The feeling of being alone._

 _Of being hurt._

 _And being in pain._

 _Kyouko knows those feelings all too well._

" _If you need someone. I'll always be here to listen." were the words she spoke that started their friendship._

 _A friendship that could possibly crumble as soon as the time would come that Kyouko would have to face her and tell her that she shares the same feelings towards the person she loves most._

"Kirigiri-chan, please?" Maizono begged childishly as she looked at her with puppy eyes.

Kyouko sighed in defeat as she forced herself to smile.

"Okay but only for a while."

Maizono hugged her from her side. "Thank you, Kirigiri-san!" She squealed cheerfully as if she had won a lottery.

Kyouko patted her head gently and took a quick glance at Makoto.

And she swore she saw the boy wearing a displeased and anxious look on his face.

* * *

A/N : Hello guys, sorry if I haven't updated this fan fic for a week or so. I have been very busy with some things in my life and I couldn't fit writing into my messed up schedules.

Anyway, I haven't proof read this one so if there are any corrections or any questions please feel free to comment it down below.

The flashback where Kyouko was talking to Sayaka happened before Sayaka told Kyouko about her feelings towards Makoto.

I really hope you guys like this fic. :D

Anyway, with Christmas Vacation right around the corner. I'll have more time to write! Yey!

I'm still going to continue my other fic but I might write another one soon and if i get too into it, i might put the other one(when the snow falls) on hold and focus on the new one. (It's still Naegiri.)

Anyway that's all anddd

Love you guys!


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